AKIPRESS.COM - Media in China have praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for keeping the country "stable" during his brief absence from the public eye, reports BBC citing Xinhua News Agency.

According to North Korea's official news agency KCNA, Mr Kim made his first appearance since 3 September on Tuesday.

He was reportedly giving "field guidance" at a newly built scientists' residential district. The absence of the 32-year-old leader had prompted a flurry of speculation about his health while some questioned if he remained in control of the state.

A report in the Xinhua News Agency gives information on what may have happened in North Korea in the past 40 days.

The article notes that during Mr Kim's absence, North Korea continued to hold "several major events" including the 10 October anniversary of the establishment of the Korean Worker's Party, and the Foundation Day of the North Korean State on 9 September.

Noticing the "new movements in North Korea's diplomacy", the report says the country continued to "hit out in all directions" by sending top officials for overseas visits to Europe, Mongolia, the United Nations, Russia and South Korea.

Another Xinhua commentary describes the series of domestic events and diplomatic activities during the absence as "a chess game set up by him".

"In these 40 days, the politics and foreign diplomacy of North Korea has carried on according to his plan. This shows that the country is pro-actively striking out to break the deadlock in foreign relations, and the strategy is now blossoming everywhere," says the article.

"All this is a part of the chess game set up by him when he was recuperating. In these 40 days, North Korea's domestic politics and foreign affairs have remained stable and open," it says.

Analysts interviewed by the Global Times feel Mr Kim's reappearance shows that his grip on power "is still intact".

Li Dunqiu, an expert in Korean studies Zhejiang University, notes that the North Korean media has disclosed Mr Kim's health condition, and this shows that the North Korean government "has become more transparent".

Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow of the Sejong Institute in South Korea, feels that Mr Kim "was trying to earn sympathy from North Koreans by revealing his health condition, which shows a different style of leadership as compared to his father Kim Jong-il, who tried to hide the fact he had surgery in 2008".

Observing that the border region between China and North Korea is "peaceful as usual", a report in the paper's Chinese edition points out that the rumour about Mr Kim's health had not affected trade and tourism between China and North Korea.