US President Barack Obama said on Sunday that Kim Jong-Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is "pretty healthy and in control."

Speaking in an interview with CNN, Obama said that he was told so by Bill Clinton after the former president's trip to Pyongyang in August.

"That's important to know, because we don't have a lot of interaction with the North Koreans," Obama said. "I won't go into anymore details than that, but there's no doubt that this is somebody who I think for a while people thought was slipping away. He's reasserted himself."

Kim Jong Il, 67, was reportedly to have suffered a stroke last year.

(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2009)