North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Il (R) gestures to South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun (L) after... 
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Kim Jong Il's childhood in a secret guerrilla camp and early years before becoming leader of communist North Korea are the focus of a multipart film in the works in Pyongyang, state media said Thursday — widely seen as another sign the ailing 67-year-old is paving the way for a successor.
The movie — chronicling the authoritarian leader's "undying feats" and his "extraordinary wisdom and distinguished leadership art, political caliber and noble personality," according to state media — is reminiscent of a 20-part film made the year before his late father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, died of heart failure at age 82.
The retrospective would be a rare acknowledgment that Kim Jong Il, believed to have suffered a stroke nearly a year ago and rumored to have chronic diabetes and heart disease, is getting on in years. Discussing the health of a man who is the focus of an intense personality cult is taboo in North Korea, and officials routinely deny reports about his ailments.
But recent images of a haggard, gaunt-looking Kim, his hair noticeably thinning, have touched off renewed speculation about his health. South Korean broadcaster YTN recently reported a new malady last week: pancreatic cancer, and said he had less than five years to live.
Kim's health is of broad interest because he rules the nation of 24 million, one of the world's most impoverished and closed off, with absolute authority. There are fears his death could trigger chaos or a power struggle if he does not name a successor.
For months, speculation has been mounting that a string of provocations from the North — including a rocket launch in April, a nuclear test in May and a series of missile tests — are designed to build up national pride as Kim prepares to name his youngest son, 26-year-old Jong Un, as heir.
However, the regime has made no announcement to the outside world about a new leader.
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