NKIDP Scholar Ryoo Kihl-jae was interviewed by the New York Times for a 7 November article on the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

According to Ryoo, a professor at NKIDP's partner institution the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, the recent release of pictures of Kim Jong-il inspecting troops and attending a soccer match are the North Korean leader's way of responding to "intense outside attention." Kim, according to Ryoo, "is a man very sensitive to how the outside world views him." Ryoo also suggests that the incredible lengths to which the North is going to demonstrate that Kim Jong-il is healthy is a sign that he is not well.

Read the entire article on the New York Times' website.