incorrect panic("failed to get clock for system timer"); ??

[f. achkar]

Hi,
Newbie debugging Linux-2.6.32-9 on S3C2450, the kernel seems to panic at :
s3c2410_timer_init () at arch/arm/plat-s3c/time.c:256

if (IS_ERR(timerclk))
        panic("failed to get clock for system timer");

more precisely  'if (IS_ERR(timerclk))' is non-null !?! although the
'timerclk' seem to be fine:
(gdb) print *timerclk
$27 = {list = {next = 0xc04a933c, prev = 0xc04a93ac}, owner = 0x0,
parent = 0xc04abfd4, name = 0xc042c5a1 "timers", id = -1,
  usage = 0, rate = 0, ctrlbit = 1024, enable = 0xc009631c
<s3c2443_clkcon_enable_p>, set_rate = 0, get_rate = 0,
  round_rate = 0, set_parent = 0}
(gdb) s
257            panic("failed to get clock for system timer");
(gdb) print (unsigned long)(timerclk)
$28 = 3226112884
(gdb)

I'm not sure why 'IS_ERR(timerclk)' is holding true? or is it a bug ?
thanks,
ferar