Around 2 a.m., the North Korean Central News Agency released two photos saying Kim inspected the 2200th Unit and the 534th Unit of the Korean People's Army. Around 5 p.m., North Korean Central Television Station released another 10 photos. But, as on Sunday, they did not specify when and where they were taken or provide video footage.

In this picture released on Wednesday by the North Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong-il poses with soldiers during an inspection of the 534th Unit of the Korean People’s Army. /Yonhap

Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said the South Korean government presumes the 534th Unit is a logistics unit stationed near Pyongyang. “According to analysis of North Korean news reports, Kim visited this military unit for the 10th time since September 2001." He added autumn foliage in the background and a parka Kim is wearing suggest they were taken at this time of the year, but when asked whether they were taken this year, he said, "I have no idea."

In this picture released on Wednesday by North Korean Central Television Station, Kim Jong-il claps during an inspection of the 534th Unit of the Korean People’s Army. /Courtesy of the Unification Ministry (Newsis)

Photos show Kim, who is believed to be suffering paralysis in his left side, clapping his hands or folding them behind his back. Some photos show him giving instructions to military leaders or smiling. Others show him walking with his right hand raised as if responding to soldiers' cheers.

If the photos were taken recently, they suggest Kim has recovered considerably. But an intelligence officer said, "It's possible that, to show he is healthy, North Korea made up those photos or released unpublished photos it had taken in 2007 or 2006. Nothing is certain before someone who is not a North Korean official meets him in person and tells us about his health."

(englishnews@chosun.com )