SEOUL, March 17 (UPI) -- A senior U.S. diplomatic official reportedly said medical information indicates North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has a life expectancy of about three years.
Kurt Campbell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, offered his observation about Kim's health during a private meeting with South Korean lawmakers and defectors at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul last month, several participants told The Korea Herald in a report published Wednesday.
"Medical analyses suggest that Kim has another three years left to live," participants reported Campbell as saying during the meeting.
Kim's health, as well as the line of succession, has been a topic of discussion among world leaders. South Korean officials said they think Kim, 68, suffers from a kidney disease, based on photographs and intelligence information. Kim reportedly had a stroke in 2008, and was absent from the public view for months.
