[imText1]At the opening ceremony at the Pyongyang “April 25 Cultural Hall” on the 2nd, it was pointed out that Kim Jong Il’s infirmity was apparent when he came out to directly receive President Roh Moo Hyun.

He surprised South Koreans through his sudden emergence, as in 2000, but his appearance had significantly deteriorated since then. With the exception of the handshake, it was difficult to find traces of his bright and energetic image of 2000 in his consistently expressionless demeanor.

Further, in contrast to the embrace and intimacy given to former President Kim Dae Jung upon his arrival at Pyongyang’s Sunahn Airport, Kim Jong Il did not go beyond giving a mere handshake at Tuesday’s ceremony. On one hand, while some have been of the opinion that this reflects the toned down atmosphere of Inter-Korea Summit Talks this time around, others have pointed out the possibility that Kim Jong Il’s has lost strength of mind and body.

Dressed in his usual light-brown People’s Party attire, Kim Jong Il came out two minutes before President Roh arrived. Kim, who stood with his feet apart on a red carpet, did not move a step while President Roh descended from his convertible and walked towards him. Kim stood apparently in a severely crooked stance, leaning towards his right side.

Especially on this day, the expressions of President Roh and Kim Jong Il while walking on the red carpet were directly opposite. President Roh wore a flushed expression at Kim Jong Il’s direct appearance at the April 25 Cultural Hall and Kim Jong Il occasionally waved his hands towards the welcoming crowd with his expressionless face.

[imText2]Kim Jong Il’s walk seemed uncharacteristic. In contrast to President Roh’s confident and strong walk, Kim walked with a slight stagger. When shaking hands with the official South Korean entourage, he continuously exhibited a muddled appearance.

The protrusion of his abdomen did not seem too different from before, but both sides of his hair had faded to white and his bald spot was easily noticeable. Wrinkles had multiplied on his face, giving off an extremely senile impression.

After the official reception which ensued for 10 minutes, there were predictions that the two leaders were going to ride together to the Baihwawon’s guesthouse, as was the case at the 2000 talks, but President Roh took a private car by himself. After his departure, Kim Jong Il was transported elsewhere in his car.

Kim Jong Il is known to suffer from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is reputed that last May, he received a Percuteneous Transarterial Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) from the Berlin Heart Center medical team, after which he recovered.

Kim Jong Il, concerned with internal and external opinions, has maintained concentrated supervision of the whole area of Hamkyung since the end of July, but suspicions of his deteriorating health remain unchanged.