2nd LD) N.K. media release photos of leader Kim watching soccer match

(ATTN: AMENDS lead; UPDATES with N. Korean TV report, details of photos, background;
ADDS byline)
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state media on Sunday released photos of
leader Kim Jong-il watching a soccer match in an apparent bid to dispel rampant
speculation over the condition of his health.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Kim
smiling at something on a seat in what appears to be the VIP box of a football
stadium, while another photo showed the football field.
The release was made hours after the KCNA reported that Kim watched a game
between two army teams named Mangyongbong and Jebi together with army soldiers.
The Korean Central TV aired 14 photos of Kim watching the match and giving
instruction to officials accompanying him.
However, when and where the photos were taken was not mentioned.
The KCNA report said the match was held "in connection with the close of the 11th
People's Sports Contest," a national athletic meet reportedly held for about a
month until Oct. 31.
The photos are the second set released by the North, apparently to show the
leader is doing well after reportedly suffering a stroke in mid-August.
North Korea's state media previously distributed photos of Kim inspecting a
women's military unit in a frontline area on Oct. 11. However, Seoul officials
said the foliage shown in the photos suggests they could have been taken before
Kim reportedly fell ill.
Kim, 66, has not been seen in public since Aug. 14, when he reportedly inspected
a military unit in North Korea. His conspicuous 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 Kim is now recovering after
undergoing brain surgery.
Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso said last week that Kim was probably hospitalized,
but still capable of making decisions about his hard-line communist state.
Kim's health has been the subject of keen attention since he has not publicly
nominated any successor, and is widely believed to suffer from diabetes and heart
disease. He officially took power after his father, state founder Kim Il-sung,
died of a heart attack in 1997.
According to Sunday's KCNA report, Kim congratulated the footballers of the
"Mangyongbong" team on their 3-1 success in the match.
"He said that the servicepersons of the Korean People's Army (KPA),
standard-bearers and members of the shock brigade in implementing the Songun
(military-first) politics, are a model in sporting activities, too," the report
said.
"He noted that to develop sports is of very weighty importance not only in
successfully pushing forward the revolutionary struggle and construction to
augment the might of the country, but in boosting the friendly relations with
various countries of the world," it added.
Kim was accompanied by ranking military and communist party officials such as
Hyun Chol-hae, Ri Myong-su and Kim Myong-guk, all army generals, as well as Jang
Song-taek, director of the party's administration department, among others,
according to the KCNA report.
On Oct. 4, the same media reported that Kim watched a soccer match between North
Korean university teams, but did not release any photos of him.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)