Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has finally resurfaced with the help of a walking stick after a prolonged, unexplained absence that fuelled rampant speculation about his health.

State media reported on Tuesday that Kim, who had not been seen in public for nearly six weeks, made an inspection tour of a newly built housing complex in Pyongyang and a science institute.

The front page of the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun was taken up mostly with a large close-up portrait of a smiling Kim.

The daily carried smaller, full-length photos showing Kim leaning on a black walking stick in his left hand as he toured the residential complex built for scientists working on the country's satellite program.

"Looking over the exterior of the apartment houses and public buildings, decorated with diverse colored tiles, (Kim) expressed great satisfaction, saying they looked very beautiful," the official KCNA news agency said.

Kim, believed to be 30 or 31, dropped out of sight after attending a concert with his wife in Pyongyang on Sept 3.

His longest absence from public events since he came to power has drawn the world's attention and fueled speculations about his health.

Kim was shown walking with a limp on Korean Central Television on July 8 at a commemorative event marking the 20th anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Il-sung.

"It's still not clear how much he has recovered from the apparent 'discomfort' or how serious it was," said Kim Yeon-chul, a DPRK expert at Inje University in the Republic of Korea.

"The important thing is that this really corroborates observations by the Republic of Korea, China and the United States that Kim is ruling normally."

His reappearance followed a rare exchange of machine-gun fire over the inter-Korean border on Friday, after the DPRK's military tried to shoot down some leaflet-laden balloons launched by anti-Pyongyang activists from the ROK.

AFP - Xinhua

(China Daily USA 10/15/2014 page1)