SEOUL, South Korea - A French doctor says North Korean leader Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke but is improving.
Neurosurgeon Francois-Xavier Roux of Sainte-Anne hospital in Paris told Le Figaro newspaper that Kim suffered a stroke but did not undergo surgery as was widely reported. He said Kim's condition is improving. Roux's account is significant because it's the first eyewitness observation of the autocratic leader publicly available since Kim reportedly fell ill.
South Korean and U.S. officials say the 66-year-old leader suffered a stroke in August and underwent surgery.
His failure to appear at a September military parade celebrating North Korea's 60th anniversary had sparked speculation about his health.
However, Roux said Kim is improving. "I have the impression that he is in charge in North Korea," he told Le Figaro in an interview published Thursday.
Roux visited Pyongyang in the end of October, Le Figaro said. The doctor declined to provide details, citing a doctor-patient confidentiality.
The North has denied the autocratic leader was ever ill and state media has issued a series of reports since early October portraying Kim as healthy and active and making the usual rounds of military units and factories.
On Friday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim toured farms and a folk village in the southern city of Sariwon.
KCNA said Kim urged farmers to provide North Koreans with more chickens and eggs under the slogan "Serve the people!"
He also visited farming collectives, praising workers for their diligence in helping to feed North Korea's people.
