South says no sign of special North Korea broadcast

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's ministry responsible for ties with the North said on Monday no unusual activity was observed in North Korea on the day media said Pyongyang may make an important announcement.

Sources familiar with the North also said there were no indications that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, thought to have suffered a stroke in August, was anything but firmly in control of the reclusive state.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun said on Saturday North Korean diplomats had been told to stay close to their missions and await an important message, which could be about the health of leader Kim Jong-il, 66, or ties with the South.

"We have nothing to confirm regarding Chairman Kim Jong-il's health," Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon told a news briefing.

"All of the North's domestic broadcasts, its international events and domestic events are being conducted normally."

South Korean media on Monday quoted informed sources as saying the reports from Japan could be inaccurate.

A source based in Beijing with close ties to the North's government termed reports that Kim may have died "nonsense."

"All along his health has not been very good. But there's definitely no problem," the source told Reuters requesting anonymity.