The late North Korean autocrat Kim Jong-il’s deadly heart attack may have been caused by his fury over water leaks at an ambitious but poorly built water power plant north of Pyongyang, a news report said Tuesday.
State media said on Dec. 19, 2011, that Kim, then 69, died from a “severe myocardial infarction along with a heart attack” while on a train for a “field guidance” tour.
The Chosun Ilbo daily provided details surrounding his death citing an unnamed source familiar with the inner workings of the reclusive country.
The report said that the longtime ruler was dashing to the Huichon hydroelectric station in Chagang Province after bawling out his aides for the leakage and ordering immediate repair.
The power plant had been cherished as a pillar of his vision for a “strong, prosperous and great nation” because it would tackle the chronic electricity shortages in Pyongyang and nearby regions.
Kim visited the site eight times since construction began in March 2009. The complex was completed in April this year ― reducing the work period by a whopping seven years ― but evidence of shoddy construction has consistently emerged.
New leader Kim Jong-un’s absence from the plant’s ribbon-cutting also appears related to his father and predecessor’s death, the newspaper added.
By Shin Hyon-hee (
heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
