SEOUL: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has started making its first documentary about Kim Jong-il's life amid renewed speculation about the 67-year-old leader's health and who will inherit leadership of the country.

The retrospective film would be a rare acknowledgment that Kim is getting on in years. The Republic of Korea's (ROK) Chosun Ilbo newspaper noted yesterday that the DPRK began producing a similar 20-part film about Kim's late father, national founder Kim Il-sung, in 1993 - a year before he died of heart failure.

Analyst Koh Yu-hwan of Seoul's Dongguk University said the move appears to be aimed at laying the groundwork for naming one of Kim's sons as his successor.