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Pyongyang trying out drugs for `Dear Leader' in Russia

North Korea is testing new medicines in Russia for Kim Jong-il, a news report said yesterday, amid reports that the North Korean leader's health has worsened and he has troubled walking.

Two people who have the same physique, shape and are the same age as Kim Jong-il are staying at a hospital in Russia and receiving new medication for diabetes and heart disease, Yonhap news agency said, citing an unnamed South Korean lawmaker who belongs to the parliamentary intelligence committee.

The lawmaker said the information was revealed by Kim Seung-gyu, director of the National Intelligence Service, at a recent intelligence committee meeting, Yonhap said.

Officials at South Korea's top spy agency were not immediately available for comment.

Opposition lawmaker Chung Hyung-keun, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, made similar comments on Wednesday.

Chung said the North Korean leader can't walk normally due to worsening diabetes, liver and heart problems, and that the 64-year-old underwent treatment at a top hospital in Beijing in January, according to Chung's office.

Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, Seoul's point man on North Korea, said on Thursday that he didn't have any information on Kim's health.

It was almost impossible to independently confirm details about the North Korean leader's health as Pyongyang strictly controls all information and denies almost all outside access.
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