SEOUL - NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Il has inspected military units, state media said on Sunday, in the latest reported public appearance by the communist leader, who is said to be recovering from illness.

The official Korean Central News Agency said in separate dispatches that Mr Kim, accompanied by military leaders, visited an Air Force unit and an Army unit. The dispatches, dated on Saturday, did not say when he made the trips.

South Korean and US officials have said the 66-year-old leader suffered a stroke in mid-August. Seoul officials said he has made a good recovery, and both US and South Korean officials say he is still in control of the country.

Mr Kim's health is the subject of intense interest since he has not publicly nominated a successor to rule the nuclear-armed communist state.

Kim has a history of diabetes and heart disease, Seoul officials say.

The North's state media carried no reports between August 14 and October 4 of Mr Kim's public appearances.

But the media have reported Mr Kim's trips to a variety of destinations in recent weeks and published photographs, in an apparent attempt to show that he is active and in charge. -- AFP