In the pictures his left arm seems weak. In one photo showing him in a chair as he watches the match, his left arm is placed limply in his lap. In another, showing him giving instructions to somebody, the left thumb is supported by the jacket pocket. In a photo that shows him smiling, he has fewer wrinkles on the left-hand side of his mouth than on the right. If the pictures are genuine, they suggest he can walk with a cane, and that the stroke occurred in the right side of his brain, leaving him able to speak and make decisions.

In the pictures released on Sunday (top left and right), Kim Jong-il sits with his left arm placed limply in his lap and has his left thumb hooked in the jacket pocket. By contrast, in the August file photo (bottom left), Kim Jong-il lifts his left arm. /Courtesy of North Korean Central News Agency

Contrary to rumors, Kim appears not to have undergone brain surgery, since there is no sign that his hair has been shaved.

According to international news reports and various intelligence reports, Kim may have suffered a cerebral infarction, which occurs as a result of blood vessels in the right half of the brain getting clogged or narrowing or of cerebral hemorrhage, about two months ago. The presumption is that he is recovering well but has not yet regained full use of his left arm.

(englishnews@chosun.com )