North Korean leader reappears

Absences from public view stoke rumours about Kim's grip on power

North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il has made his first reported public appearance in 40 days.

The official KCNA news agency said that Kim toured a military-run farm on Monday - the same day that North Korea reportedly test-fired a missile off its east coast.

Kim Jong-il, who is 61, was last seen in public on 9 September, the 55th anniversary of the North Korean state.

During the time he was out of public sight, Pyongyang raised the stakes in the nuclear crisis by saying it had finished reprocessing nuclear fuel rods which could be used to build weapons.

Although Kim rules his country as head of its military, little is known about how he maintains his grip on power.

When he does not appear in public for long periods, rumours of power struggles or ill health often surface in neighbouring countries.

But this latest absence could be explained by speculation about the health of the woman thought to be his favourite consort, Ko Young-hui.

Unconfirmed reports from Japan in October said she was in hospital after being badly injured in a car crash.

But South Korea's largest daily newspaper, The Chosun Ilbo, reported that Ko was suffering from the recurrence of the cancer for which she has already received treatment in Europe.