N.K. media release photos of Kim Jong-il inspecting army unit

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) - State-run North Korean television on Saturday aired photos of the country's leader Kim Jong-il inspecting a frontline military unit amid ongoing speculation about his frail health.

It marked the first time in 58 days that photos of Kim in public have been
broadcast by North Korean news media.
Kim, 66, has been out of the public view since Aug. 14 when he inspected a
military unit in the communist state. His conspicuous absence from major events,
including one marking the 60th anniversary of the country, triggered speculation
about his failing health.
South Korean intelligence officials have said Kim is recovering from a stroke
after undergoing brain surgery in mid August. North Korean officials have
vehemently denied such statements.
The 10 photos broadcast repeatedly by the North's Korean Central TV show Kim
conversing with soldiers, clapping and watching a firing drill in his trademark
dark sunglasses and olive green jumper.
He looked to have lost some weight, possibly due to illness, but there was
otherwise little change in his appearance.
No video footage has been released by the state broadcaster.
Kim inspected a female artillery company under the People's Army Unit No. 821 to
evaluate the company's readiness, attend a firing drill and take photos with
soldiers there, the TV report said.
It did not reveal the timing and location of the visit.
But a report from the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July
29, 2004 placed the artillery company in a frontline area following a visit by
Kim. The leader has visited the company at least four times since 2001, according
to the North's media reports.
Earlier on Saturday, the KCNA released a more detailed report on Kim's latest
visit but did not carry any photos. It normally provides photos of Kim visiting
military units one or two days after the release of articles on the visit.
Kim looked around lecture halls, bed rooms, restaurants and various other
facilities of the company to get a better feel for the life of the soldiers, the
KCNA report said.
He expressed satisfaction that "the company soldiers are performing their duties
with an utmost readiness against the enemy's aggressive movements, which are
getting more serious day by day," the report said.
The North Korean leader also evaluated the units' financial management,
inspecting tree plantings and grain crops tended to by the female soldiers,
according to the report.
North Korea's radio stations, Radio Pyongyang and the Korean Central Broadcasting
Station, have since been repeatedly airing the report.
Rodong Shinmun, the most influential newspaper in the country, also carried the
report on the front page of Saturday's edition, along with a photo of Kim
inspecting the military facility.
North Korean media recently reported Kim watched a soccer game without specifying
the date or showing any photos or video images of him. North Korean media usually
report Kim's public appearances belatedly without giving specific dates.
Kim's health is the subject of keen attention since he has not publicly nominated
any successor and is widely believed to suffer from diabetes and heart disease.
He officially took power after his father, state founder Kim Il-sung, died of a
heart attack in 1997.
On Friday and Saturday, North Korea's state media extensively covered a statement
from Kim calling for unity of the people.
They belatedly covered the statement issued about a month ago to celebrate the
60th anniversary of the communist regime. But broadcasters unusually released
prior reports announcing that the statement will be carried in an hour.
"The disclosure of Kim's photos is aimed to show the international society and
the North Korean residents that he is running the state normally," Kim
Yeon-cheol, the director of the Hankyoreh Peace Institute, told Yonhap News
Agency.
Doctors said the pictures, if they are genuine, showed Kim suffering almost no
paralysis or other problems from a cerebral disease.
Kim said the reclusive Pyongyang leader was obviously ill but cautioned against
any attempt to assess his conditions based on photos.
"Kim Jong-il may have been temporarily incapacitated or have recovered quickly
after a successful surgery. But it is difficult to measure his conditions simply
based on the photos," he said.
Kim Geun-sik, a North Korea expert of the Kyungnam University, said Kim's health
might have not been as serious as reported in outside news media.
"But it's problematic to use the photos as grounds for judging the authenticity
of reports on Kim's health or how much he has recovered," he said.
Seoul officials said they will continue to watch Kim's future public activities
with much attention.
The North's release of Kim's photos coincided with foreign news reports that the
U.S. removal of North Korea from a list of terrorism-supporting countries is
imminent.
U.S. President George W. Bush signed off on the plan to remove Pyongyang from the
blacklist Friday in a bid to salvage the stalled six-party talks aimed at
scrapping North Korea's nuclear arms programs, the Associated Press reported
Saturday citing unnamed diplomats.
Pyongyang has recently stopped disabling its Yongbyon nuclear plant and taken
steps to restore it in protest over the U.S. delay in delisting.