SORTING fact from fiction about Kim Jong-il is a difficult task -- even for intelligence services. On one hand, the North Korean propaganda machine portrays him as the "greatest statesman of the 20th century". Loyal communists are told his birth was "foretold by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow over the mountain and a new star in the heavens". On the other hand, South Korea provides a stream of bizarre anecdotes painting a picture of one of history's most deranged leaders. Certainly the South has more credibility. Kim Jong-il, or "Dear Leader", is officially head...