North Korea leader ‘appears in public’

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance since 3 September, the country’s official news agency says.

The KCNA agency said on Tuesday that Mr Kim “gave field guidance” at a newly-built scientists’ residential district.

Rodong Sinmun daily newspaper carried several photographs of Mr Kim using a walking stick as he inspected the site.

The absence of the 32-year-old leader had prompted a flurry of speculation about his health.

Some observers said Mr Kim could be suffering from gout or problems in his hip joint. Others even questioned if he remained in control of the state.

The photographs are still pictures so it’s impossible to know how easily Kim Jong-un is walking – did he walk for long, was he standing simply for the photographer?

It’s also impossible to tell if the stick in the pictures is an aid because of an untreated continuation of the previous ailment, or to help him after surgery.

What the pictures clearly show, though, is that he is at the centre of power.

One of the acolytes apparently hanging on his every word is Hwang Pyong-so, the general who led a delegation to South Korea 10 days ago. At the time, some of the more feverish speculation had it that this might signify that the military leader was actually in control.

The newly-released pictures indicate that Kim Jong-un remains the top man. It may or may not be significant that the visit was to a residential complex for satellite scientists – the kind of people who work on missile technology.

BBC