North Korean leader says working overnight is his 'habit': report

Posted on : 2007-07-08 19:36 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is said to frequently work overnight, according to a recent report by the North's official media on Sunday.

"Staying up all night is my habit," Kim was quoted as saying by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper in a story about the 65-year-old leader's work style. The paper cited a February pre-dawn telephone dialogue between Kim and a senior worker, who didn't want to be identified.

"How's your health? I again wake up a sleeping comrade," said Kim before ordering the worker's tasks.

The worker responded, "General (Kim), 4:00 a.m. has already passed. How could you stay up all night again? Please take a break for a while." Kim replied, "It's nothing. At this time, my work is in full swing." Kim took over North Korea after his father, Kim Il-sung, died in 1994.

North Korea, which aggravated international tension by blasting its first nuclear device last October, promised to dismantle its key nuclear reactor in return for energy and other aid in February.

Late last month, Pyongyang agreed with United Nations nuclear inspectors on how to verify and monitor the nuclear reactor's shutdown, a first step towards the dismantlement of the North's nuclear ambitions.
SEOUL, July 8 (Yonhap News)

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