Take it for what it is worth, but there has been another Kim Jong-il sighting and this time it wasn’t in Itaewon:

North Korea Monday released more pictures of leader Kim Jong-Il, including one showing him clapping in an apparent attempt to dispel rumours that a stroke left him partially paralysed.

State television said the 16 still pictures were of Kim inspecting Air Force Unit 1016 at an unspecified date. One showed the 66-year-old in a thick winter coat, clapping his gloved hands at head height.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) late Sunday carried an account of the visit, the sixth public appearance to be reported in November.

There have been widespread reports that Kim, 66, suffered a stroke around mid-August, although South Korean officials have said he was recovering well.

Some unconfirmed reports said he may have suffered partial paralysis. Pictures released last month did not show Kim fully raising his left arm.

KCNA said Kim was greeted by air force chief Ri Pyong-Chol and other senior officers. He set out tasks to boost the unit’s combat capability and expressed satisfaction at its readiness “to cope with the enemies’ moves for aggression,” it said.

“He took warm care of the servicepersons’… with fatherly love, going round a bedroom, mess hall, kitchen and supply service facilities,” the agency added. [AFP]

If you click the article’s link you can watch a video that shows more of the pictures. There is nothing in the photos that can prove when they were taken so this could just be more smoke and mirrors from North Korea.