Chung Ju-Yung ailing after trip to N.K.

Chung Ju-Yung, former chairman of Hyundai Group, has fallen ill since visiting North Korea in late June.

The itinerary of the trip may well have been too strenuous for the 85-year-old, who has been in and out of the hospital three times in one month, Hyundai officials said.

For the moment, Hyundai officials cited fatigue and his advanced age as the reasons for Chung`s hospitalization. He is otherwise generally in good health, they said. But the word is spreading among government and security circles that he is in critical condition.

Top Hyundai officials who have met Chung recently confirmed these rumors, saying that he has been subsisting on food injections for a month now.

Considering his old age, his health is likely in a perilous state.

Insiders said that the taxing visit to the North in June and his ambition to invest in North Korea may well have been primarily responsible for his worsening condition.

In late June, despite warnings from his aide and doctors, he traveled the long distance from Seoul to Pyongyang by car.

From Pyongyang, he traveled to Wonsan by plane, a rigorous journey for the 85-year-old tycoon.

Former Honorary Chairman Chung disregarded all warnings and insisted on the trip, saying that North Korean National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-Il would not meet the Hyundai delegation if he did not personally go to the North.

Chung, who is also known as "King Chairman" for his central role in the Korean economy, took ill immediately after the visit. He lost his appetite and was first hospitalized July 4. He was back at the hospital July 30 and August 3 as he showed no signs of improvement.

One top Hyundai official said that Chung`s appetite failed him, leaving him able to eat only a spoonful of porridge and just two of the usual eight pieces of sushi he consumes daily.

Those who attended the daily 10 a.m. lunch that Chung has held with top officials and close aides such as President Kim Yoon-Kyu of Hyundai Engineering and Construction had to leave without eating more frequently since July, finding Chung visibly weak and without energy.

Chung, who used to watch at least two hours of TV daily, has lost all interest in it. But Hyundai claimed that he converses with his family and aides and has not lost his sense of judgment.

Doctors also attributed Chung`s condition to his age and his strenuous schedule in North Korea, and said that he will remain hospitalized until he regains his strength and energy.

But it remains to be seen whether the "King Chairman" will do as he is told, as he is reputed to hate hospital life. Close aides also worry about the possible effects the Hyundai`s founder`s lagging health may have on the already shaky Hyundai group.