Kim tours fertilizer factory in first public sighting in 20 days

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in nearly three weeks on Friday as he cut the ribbon to mark the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang, state media said on Saturday.

North Korean state broadcaster KRT showed video of Kim walking, talking and smoking at the factory ceremony, ending an absence that had triggered global rumours that he may be seriously ill.

It was Kim's first public appearance since April 11, when he presided over a ruling Workers' Party meeting to discuss the coronavirus.

The fertilizer factory was the first place that Kim visited this year, according to state media.

Fertilizer is in great demand in North Korea because farming land is limited and often depleted of nutrients.