N.Korea leader Kim makes first appearance since illness

Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made his first public appearance since reports surfaced last month that he may have suffered a stroke, according to a state news report on Saturday.

The North's official media said Kim saw a soccer match. It has been about 50 days since North Korea's official media noted Kim appearing in public.

US and South Korean officials last month said Kim may have suffered a stroke in August, raising question about succession in the Asia's only communist dynasty and who was making decisions about its nuclear weapons programme.