Do Kim Jong-Un Photos Really Prove He's Back?

Kim Jong-Un has reappeared after 40 days out of sight. But do these "new" photos actually prove he's back? And if they do, where has he been?

The pictures, which dominate the front page of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, show Mr Kim touring a housing project.

It is standard North Korean propaganda: Mr Kim is, says the article, "giving field guidance" about the new development. In other words, he is issuing observations and directives to underlings, mostly military officers, who stand by, notebooks in hand.

But there's nothing to prove beyond doubt that the images were taken on Monday.

They could be unpublished photos from a previous visit - albeit a recent one, given that he is carrying a walking stick.

1/20

Gallery: Supreme Leaner: Kim Jong-Un Images

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has been seen in public for the first time in more than five weeks, appearing to scotch rumours of a coup. PICS: Rodong Sinmun
The secretive state's Supreme Leader is pictured visiting scientific facilities 40 days after he was last in public, state media reports.
The failure of Mr Kim to appear on TV since 3 September has led to a mass of speculation about what could have happened to the 31-year-old. Continue through for more images
The images first appeared in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper

It is conceivable the photos were taken in the past few months, but not published at the time because Mr Kim didn't want to appear weak.

But with speculation over his whereabouts mounting, perhaps a decision was taken to release the pictures.

The images show a sunny day. The weather in Pyongyang on Monday was sunny with some cloud, but it's thought the pictures were taken in Pyongsong, 22 miles (35km) north of the capital, which he visited in January.

The North Korean regime has form in releasing doctored or inaccurate photographs.

1/25

Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Inspecting Things

Before recently disappearing from public view North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was making regular public appearances across the country
The state media followed him as he enjoyed visits to factories, military installations and construction sites. Continue through for more pictures

In March 2013, photos released by North Korean media showed an "armada" of hovercraft landing on a beach as part of a military exercise.

Analysis of the images proved they had been photoshopped: one or two hovercraft had been "copied and pasted" to create an illusion that there were many more.

If we're to assume the photos released on Tuesday are genuine and new, then where has he been for the past 40 days?

Despite rumours of a coup, the most plausible explanation for his disappearance has always been illness, and that he's been recovering at a residence outside Pyongyang.

Video: The Defectors: A Special Programme

One report, in South Korea's Joongang Daily newspaper, quoted unnamed "North Korean sources" as claiming that Mr Kim was operated on by a French doctor in September and has been recuperating at his chalet in the mountains.

The chalet is visible from satellite images via Google Maps. It is one of several private residences built for the Kim family in the 1980s.

According to testimony from Hwang Jang-yop, a senior North Korean official who defected to the south in 1997, the chalet is linked by a tunnel to Mr Kim's summer residence in Kangdong, about 40 miles to the east.

Kangdong, also known as Yeongwon, is believed to be where Kim Jong-Un's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, died in 1994.

1/3

Gallery: Do Tunnels Link Kim's Residences?

Kim Jung-Un may have been in the mountains at this complex shown on Google Maps during his absence
His mountain chalet is believed to be connected by a tunnel to another estate in Kangdong
The Kim family has a plethora of residences outside North Korea's capital

The vast complex of guesthouses sits on several artificial lakes and is surrounded by elaborate gardens. The estate, which includes what looks like a racetrack, is visible from satellite imagery.

Various defectors have claimed that the North Korean regime has developed a vast network of tunnel systems over the past few decades which link up the Kim family homes in Pyongyang with country residences and airports.