SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has finally resurfaced with the help of a walking stick after a prolonged, unexplained absence that fueled rampant speculation about his health and even rumors of a coup in the nuclear-armed state.

State media on Tuesday reported that Kim, who had not been seen in public for nearly six weeks, made an inspection tour of a newly-built housing complex in Pyongyang and a science institute.

The front page of the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun was mostly taken up with a large close-up portrait of a smiling Kim, photographed from the waist upwards.

The daily carried smaller, full-length photos showing Kim leaning on a black walking stick in his left hand as he toured the residential complex built for scientists working on North Korea’s satellite program.

The visit was also reported by state TV, but using the same pictures and without any video footage, making it impossible to judge just how mobile Kim was.

“Looking over the exterior of the apartment houses and public buildings, decorated with diverse colored tiles, (Kim) expressed great satisfaction, saying they looked very beautiful,” the official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA did not specify the date of the visit, but the agency usually reports such events the day after.

It also made no mention of Kim’s absence from the public eye and offered no insight into his physical wellbeing.

Kim, believed to be 30 or 31, dropped out of sight after attending a music concert with his wife in Pyongyang on September 3.

While there is precedent for a North Korean leader to “disappear” for a while, the absence was more noticeable with Kim, who has maintained a particularly pervasive media presence since coming to power after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in late 2011.