KOREA: North Koreans to get stroke tips after leader health scare

. SEOUL (Reuters), September 11, 2008: Health-conscious North Korean television viewers will be getting some fresh tips on how to cut the risk of stroke just as their leader Kim Jong-il, probably unbeknown to them, is said to be recovering from one himself. State-run KRT TV said in a programming note monitored on Friday that it will carry a special segment on "the diagnosis and current trends in stroke" on September 23. A female announcer said the lecture by a Red Cross hospital neurologist will be at the Grand People's Study House in central Pyongyang but made no reference to Kim. The reclusive 66-year-old leader is believed to be recovering from a stroke he suffered last month but his grip over the country that possibly has nuclear weapons remains intact, intelligence sources said. North Korea's state media have made no mention of Kim's illness. He failed to appear at Tuesday's parade for the state's 60th birthday, fuelling speculation that he is gravely ill. The next possible date that Kim could make a public appearance would be October 10, the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by David Fogarty) © Thomson Reuters 2008.