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This probably isn't the most convenient time for Kim Jong Il to die.
South Korean intelligence indicates that ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il suffered a serious health setback and has been hospitalized, a newspaper reported Wednesday.To be sure, I don't expect that North Korea policy in either a McCain or an Obama administration will differ significantly from the engagement that Bush has pursued over the last two years. It would be better, however, if North Korea and the United States didn't simultaneously undergo leadership changes, such that North Korean expectations of American behavior, and relations between specific North Korean and American diplomats, remain stable during what may well be a chaotic leadership fight.The report in the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper cited an unnamed government official in saying intelligence obtained Sunday suggested "a serious problem" with Kim's health. The report did not elaborate.
Kim, 66, reportedly suffered a stroke and underwent brain surgery in August. North Korea, however, denies he is ill.
--Robert Farley
