Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has finally resurfaced with the help of a walking stick after a prolonged, unexplained absence that fuelled rampant speculation about his health.

State media reported on Tuesday 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 taken up mostly with a large close-up portrait of a smiling Kim.