SEOUL - NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Il went to the Pyongyang zoo and visited the tigers, bears and aquarium, state-run media said Tuesday, the latest in a spate of reports depicting Kim as fit three months after his reported stroke.

During the visit, Mr Kim praised the reconstruction of the Central Zoo at the foot of Mount Taesong, calling it a treasure of the communist nation, the Korean Central News Agency said from the capital, Pyongyang.

He noted the zoo houses a variety of animals - some rare - sent as gifts from around the world, and called on zookeepers to make sure to care for them, said the report, monitored in Seoul.

KCNA also released a photo showing Mr Kim standing next to a pond, wearing a winter parka, thick gloves and sunglasses. The image shows Mr Kim using his right hand to point to something, as a group of aides stand in a row behind him.

Later on Tuesday, the North's state-run TV released more undated photos showing a smiling Mr Kim with other officials. Kim was seen also seen wearing his trademark sunglasses in all the photos, while his bouffant-hair looked not much different from before.

Mr Kim, 66, is believed to have suffered a stroke in August, but North Korea has steadfastly denied he was ever ill.

There is speculation the reported stroke may have affected Mr Kim's left hand. Most recently released photos show him with his left hand tucked into his jacket pocket.

On Monday, state-run television released still images of a fit-looking Mr Kim touring a military unit, clapping and smiling, though thick gloves made it hard to gauge the status of his left hand.

None of the reports provide an exact date for his appearances, but they appear to be recent.

Tuesday's dispatch was one of the first to provide a location: Pyongyang's Central Zoo.

KCNA said Mr Kim was accompanied by top officials, including his brother-in-law, Jang Song Thaek, who heads the administrative department of the all-powerful Workers' Party.

Mr Kim, who inherited leadership of the Stalinist country from his father, has not publicly named a successor. Many analysts consider Mr Jang a key player in the North's future leadership.

The latest dispatches come amid tensions between the two Koreas, with the North restricting traffic through its border with South Korea on Monday. Relations have soured since a new pro-US, conservative South Korean government took office in February with a pledge to take a firmer line on the North. -- AP