North Korea's Kim reappears after weeks of speculation

A woman passes by a TV screen showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his sister Kim Yo-jong during a news programme at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday (May 2). Kim made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence that had triggered global rumours that he was seriously ill. - AP

SEOUL: North Korea's Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance in nearly three weeks, state media reported Saturday (May 2), following intense speculation that the leader of the nuclear-armed nation was seriously ill or possibly dead.

The North reported that Kim had attended the opening of a fertiliser factory and released pictures it said showed the leader cutting a ribbon at the ceremony on Friday in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, although the appearance could not be verified.