A former senior North Korean diplomat has apologised after saying leader Kim Jong-un was likely so ill he could not stand days before he emerged looking well in state media.
The dictator was seen walking briskly at an event attended by hundreds of officials despite rumours he was ill or even dead.
Kim disappeared from state media for weeks, sparking a flurry of speculation about his health and whereabouts, and worry about prospects for the nuclear-armed state in the event of an unexpected succession.
But on Saturday, North Korean media published photographs of Kim at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the inauguration of a fertiliser plant.