By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is recovering from surgery fast enough to brush his teeth by himself, said a government official, Friday.
The official said he was informed that Kim is not in a serious condition as opposed to some reports or speculations by North Korea experts. He said that the South is closely monitoring Kim's health status.
Asked about the succession plan of leadership in the North, the official said group or collective leadership has been in place there, saying it is his personal view.
The South Korean government reportedly received the intelligence regarding the North Korean leader's stroke two to three days after Kim collapsed.
U.S. Fox News, however, reported a different story about Kim's condition. It quoted a senior Bush administration official as saying that Kim is ``more impaired from the stroke he apparently suffered last month than reports from the region suggest.''
It said the U.S. government is engaging its Chinese counterpart to discuss ways of preventing possible ensuing instability in the North. The official was quoted as saying that China was reluctant to admit the discussions publicly, due to its close ties with North Korea.