Kim Jong-un reappears after long absence
Photographs released by North Korea's state media, Tuesday, show leader Kim Jong-un on a site visit to an apartment complex for scientists in Pyongyang. The visit was his first reported public appearance in five weeks. / Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance in more than a month, quelling rampant speculation over his health or a possible political crisis.
Kim gave a "field guidance" at a new apartment complex in Pyongyang for scientists, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday.
The North's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, also carried reports of Kim's activity, including pictures of him walking with a cane.
It was his first public activity in 40 days.
The KCNA and the newspaper gave no specific date for the appearance in the Tuesday morning report. It is presumed to have happened a day earlier, given that previous reports on the leader's activities were usually delayed one day.
"Watching the exterior of the apartment houses and public buildings nicely decorated with diverse color tiles, he was very pleased to see them. He said they looked very attractive, presenting fantastic scenery," it said.
Kim was quoted as adding, "Our scientists are patriots who are devoting all their lives to building a rich and powerful nation ... It is necessary to project and treat scientists preferentially and always take care of them."
He was accompanied by Hwang Pyong-so, director of the Korean People's Army General Political Bureau; Choe Ryong-hae, the Workers' Party secretary; and other high-ranking officials.
Kim's prolonged absence from public view, including his failure to show up at important national events, kept the outside world curious about what's going on in the secretive communist nation.
Some media raised the possibility of Kim suffering a critical illness or facing a military coup.
The South Korean and U.S. governments have dismissed speculation over Kim's political instability, citing their own intelligence.
South Korean officials said Kim might have undergone leg surgery.
Kim, reportedly in his early 30s, became the North's leader after his father Kim Jong-il died in late 2011. Officials and analysts have said Kim has since consolidated power. The young leader even executed his uncle Jang Song-thaek last year, accusing him of treason. (Yonhap)