Kim Jong-un in first appearance in weeks as coronavirus takes centrestage

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) visiting his father and former leader Kim Jong Il's mausoleum at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to mark his birthday in Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un marked the birth anniversary of the country's former leader Sunday (Feb 16), in his first reported public appearance in over three weeks. - AFP

SEOUL: North Korea's Kim Jong-un marked the birth anniversary of the country's former leader Sunday (Feb 16), in his first reported public appearance in over three weeks as the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak continues to take centrestage in neighbouring China.

Kim "paid high tribute" to his father Kim Jong Il at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang that holds the embalmed bodies of his father and grandfather, the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported.