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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il pictured in public

Other News Materials 18 December 2008 17:39 (UTC +04:00)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has been making the the rounds of major industrial facilities in the country's north, state-run media reported Thursday.

It was the second time in as many days that state media reported Kim's activities, reported CNN.

State media reported Wednesday that Kim had visited a steel company and expressed "great satisfaction" with workers' efforts.

The steel factory tour generated no pictures, but his stops at a library and an electronics research facility in Jagang Province the day before did.

Kim was shown bundled up in a parka with matching thick gloves. He was also wearing a fur hat and his signature dark sunglasses. The photos showed Kim engaged in conversation and active.

South Korean media noted it was the first time since Kim reappeared in public October 4 -- after a hiatus of nearly 60 days -- that his activities have been reported two days in a row.

Kim's disappearance during that period raised speculation about the North Korean leader's health.

South Korean analysts said they believe the new reports are an attempt by the North Korean leadership to show Kim is healthy and in control.

Last week, Francois-Xavier Roux, a French neurosurgeon at Saint-Anne Hospital in Paris, told a French newspaper that Kim had suffered a stroke, but is now better. The doctor said he last treated Kim in late October.

The North has denied its leader was ever ill and state media has issued a series of reports portraying Kim as healthy and active.

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