Seoul - Five Chinese military doctors who were sent to North Korea last month to treat its leader, Kim Jong Il, remain in the country, strengthening suspicion that his recovery is proceeding slowly, a South Korean newspaper reported Wednesday.

North Korea might also want to keep the physicians in the country to prevent information from leaking out about Kim's health, JoongAng Ilbo said, citing intelligence officials.

The South Korean intelligence agency has said Kim, 66, suffered a stroke in mid-August and underwent brain surgery.

Whether the Chinese doctors who remain in North Korea - all neurosurgeons - performed the operation was not known, JoongAng Ilbo said.

Speculation about Kim's health has grown since he failed to appear last week at celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of North Korea's founding.

A pro-North Korean newspaper published in Japan said, however, that it was not unusual to receive no reports of Kim's activities. There are always phases of high tension, particularly in relations between North Korea and the United States, when nothing is published about Kim's actions, Chosun Sinbo said.

Kim's absence at the parade for the 60th anniversary has elicited "dubious interpretations and far-fetched speculation" about his health, the newspaper charged.

The leader of the Stalinist, impoverished state since he succeeded his father, Kim Il Sung, in July 1994 has not been seen in public for weeks. The younger Kim is not believed to have named a successor. (dpa)