Kim Jong-il’s stroke confirmed by doctor
François-Xavier Roux, the French doctor who treated North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, has confirmed that the country’s Dear Leader did in fact suffer a stroke: The doctor . . . told Le Figaro, the French daily: “Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke but did not undergo an operation. He is now better.” Dr. Roux, a ...
François-Xavier Roux, the French doctor who treated North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, has confirmed that the country's Dear Leader did in fact suffer a stroke:
François-Xavier Roux, the French doctor who treated North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, has confirmed that the country’s Dear Leader did in fact suffer a stroke:
The doctor . . . told Le Figaro, the French daily: “Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke but did not undergo an operation. He is now better.”
Dr. Roux, a Paris-based neurosurgeon, added: “The photos that have just been published seem recent and authentic to me. I have the impression that he is in charge in North Korea. I can’t say more because of medical confidentiality and state secrecy.”
That was the easy part. It’ll take a 007-level intelligence effort to find out who’s been jockeying for Kim’s position.
AFP/AFP/Getty Images
More from Foreign Policy

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

The Masterminds
Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.