July 30, 2010  Print Email | North Korea's Kim ups public appearances
Busy schedule despite apparent illness
Posted by Agencies at 10:22 AM GMT on Mar 23, 2009 | SEOUL (AFP): North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has ramped up his public appearances in recent months, a South Korean official said today, despite appearing gaunt and thin in a recently released photograph.
 Kim, who was widely reported to have suffered a stroke last August, made a total of 40 public tours as of today compared to 12 in the same period last year, according to reports by the communist state's official media.
"Judging from the media reports alone, he appears to be keeping a very busy schedule," said a Seoul unification ministry spokesperson, Lee Jong-Joo.
The time span between such tours has also shortened to three to four days.
"This is a very unusual case and our government is closely watching [Kim's] field guidance trips," Lee said, without elaborating.
The 67-year-old has normally been pictured in a thick winter jacket in recent months. But a photo released on Friday of the leader inspecting a new swimming pool showed that the once-portly figure appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight.
Yang Moo-Jin, a professor with Seoul's University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Kim may be trying to reach out to ordinary people with his increased appearances.
He disappeared from public view for weeks around the time of his reported stroke.
"The way he gives field guidance has changed. He used to use his charisma and tended to be bureaucratic, unilaterally giving orders to his entourage," Yang told Yonhap news agency. "These days, he reaches out to citizens, pays attention to their food issues and watches soldiers playing games and singing in contests. He appears now to have a very friendly manner."
Yang cited Kim's relatively relaxed behaviour recently.
The leader, who is believed to have stopped smoking some years ago, was pictured taking a puff of a cigarette during a trip to a tobacco factory last month.
Reports of Kim's health have fuelled speculation about the eventual succession. But none of his three sons stood as a candidate in parliamentary elections this month.
South Korean officials believe he remains in control of the country.
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