The Washington Times says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may have as little as one year left to live.

Quoting diplomatic sources, the U.S. daily said Kim’s health has progressively deteriorated since his reported stroke in August of last year.

The report said Kim recently gave up Western medical treatment and is relying mostly on Oriental medicine and other "nontraditional" remedies.

According to the newspaper, intelligence analysts had earlier concluded that Kim appeared to have recovered from the stroke and remained firmly in control as the leader of the communist country.

However, the announcement last month that Kim chose his third son Jong-un as his heir has fueled speculation that the North Korean leader is in bad health.