N. Korean leader supplies farming materials: report

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has supplied
agricultural materials to a fruit farm in the communist state, Pyongyang's
state-run media reported Friday, in an apparent bid to disprove reports that he
is ailing.
The materials were delivered in a ceremony held at the farm in Kosan, Gangwon
Province, attended by Pyongyang officials, including Kim Il-chol, the North's
Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) said.
Kim Jong-il made an on-site guidance tour at the farm in early May. He did not
attend the recent ceremony, according to the report.
Last Saturday, North Korea's state media released photos of Kim inspecting a
women's military unit, marking the first time Pyongyang has released a photo of
Kim in 56 days. There are suspicions, however, that the photos could have been
taken as far back as mid-August.
Kim's absence from recent state events, including a parade marking the 60th
anniversary of the nation's founding, has fanned speculation about his health.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials said the 66-year-old Kim underwent
surgery after suffering a stroke in mid-August and is now recovering.
Also on Friday, KCBS reported that Kim recently sent some 100 books and computer
disks to the People's Grand Study Hall, the country's top public library.
The farm in Kosan was created in 1947 at the instruction of late North Korean
leader Kim Il-sung to supply fresh fruit to the country's 1.1-million-strong
military, according to sources here.