In one of his most energetic public outings this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il inspected a training base for military officers and a string of industrial facilities, the communist state's official media reported Sunday.
Kim "inspected the training center for commanding officers of KPA Unit 593" while visiting a mine, an electronics factory, a co-operative farm and a machine complex in northwestern North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in reports datelined Saturday. Pyongyang's media usually report on Kim's activities a day late.
The reports did not say where the training base was, nor did it reveal the ranks of the officers.
The trips come as South Korea is implementing a raft of measures to punish North Korea both economically and politically after it blamed Pyongyang for the sinking of its warship in March.
Denying its role, North Korea has threatened war if it is punished for the sinking that killed 46 sailors.
Earlier this month, North Korea conducted a sweeping reshuffle in a rare extra parliamentary session, a step that analysts said appears to have set the stage for a hereditary power succession.
Since apparently suffering a stroke 2008, 68-year-old Kim has stepped up his public activities. The number of his outings reached an all-time high last year, coming in at about 200.