North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has pancreatic cancer, South Korea`s YTN said on Monday citing unnamed Chinese and Korean intelligence sources.

The ailing leader has made just two public appearances since reportedly suffering a stroke last August. Most recently Kim was shown on the country`s Central Television on July 8 looking gaunt at a ceremony in Pyongyang to mark the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.

The report comes days after Japan`s TBS television said Kim had been diagnosed with a "serious disorder" of the pancreas.

According to TBS he is receiving treatment at his home in Wonsan, on North Korea`s southeastern coast.

South Korean Unification Ministry, Chun Hae-sung, was cited by Yonhap as saying "I have no information" on the reports.

The 67-year-old leader is expected to hand over power to his youngest son Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-un, now 25, was born to Kim Jong-il`s third wife, Ko Yong-hi, who died of breast cancer at the age of 51 in 2004. According to Yonhap, the youngest of Kim`s three sons, Jong-un was educated at the International School of Berne and is a fan of NBA basketball.
sections: World News