SEOUL, Feb 18 (AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has watched a performance given by a Russian dancing troup this week to celebrate his birthday, state media said Friday.
Kim saw the performance by the Russian State Academy Beriozka Dancing Troupe on Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
It was Kim's first reported public appearance since he visited a factory in early January.
"Put on the stage were such colorful pieces as female group dances ... and mixed group dances," KCNA said.
Kim turned 63 on Wednesday. His birthday has been celebrated as a national holiday.
He has used most of his public appearances to boost military morale and tighten his grip on power. Some 65 percent of Kim's outdoor activities reported last year were all military-related.
He has stepped up military-morale boosters since a standoff with the United States began in October 2002 when Washington accused North Korea of operating a nuclear program based on enriched uranium, violating a 1994 safeguard agreement.
02/18/2005 11:44 GMT - AFP