North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly appears in public

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has made his first public appearance in more than a month, a state-run news agency reported on Saturday.

Kim watched a university soccer game, held to mark the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the university, which isnamed after his late father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

The university's 62nd anniversary took place on Oct. 1, but the report did not say when the game was held.

The 66-year-old leader had not been seen in public since mid-August, sparking speculation that he may have suffered a stroke around that time.

Kim failed to show up at a major national parade in Pyongyang, held Sept. 9 to mark the 60th anniversary of the country's founding. There was also no sign of him in public five days later for Korean Thanksgiving.

Hisabsence from the public eye in the last several weeks is believed to be his longest since he assumed leadership of communist North Korea after his father's death in 1994.