He's Back! See Kim Jong-un Step Out With a Cane After Weeks Missing
Photos mark the North Korean dictator's first appearance in 40 days.
— -- Kim Jong-un's back. But what's with the cane?
The mysterious, 40-day absence of North Korea's "dear leader" from public view ended on Monday when pictures emerged of him reportedly touring a residential facility in Pyongyang on an unspecified date.
Though the world has wondered where he has been hiding for nearly six weeks, he looked jolly as ever in one of his standard photo ops.
Smiles were seen all around, with the 31-year-old leader sporting a black pseudo-military-style outfit with a black cane amid speculation that he might be in failing health.
His first day out was a busy one, as he allegedly gave "field guidance" during a tour of the Wisong Scientists Residential District in the country's capital.
Like most things to come out of North Korea, there are very few confirmable facts. The undated photos were released by the state-run media and they did not include any video, which would show how much -- or how little -- trouble the 31-year-old had while walking.
The North Korean leader, whose actions typically fill much of the country's state-run media, was conspicuously missing for 40 days after last being seen was last seen in public at a concert on Sept. 3.
No official explanation was released by the notoriously secretive regime, but some in the West speculated that Kim's health may have been to blame for his time out of the spotlight.