SEOUL, South Korea (AP):

Kim Jong Il attended a concert by North Korea's state orchestra, state media said yesterday, the latest in a series of official reports portraying Kim as healthy amid speculation he suffered a stroke in August.

The official Korean Central News Agency said that when Kim appeared in the auditorium, "the whole audience broke into the rousing cheers of 'hurrah!' and enthusiastically welcomed him".

It did not say when the performance by the State Symphony Orchestra took place.

The North's state media have stepped up a campaign apparently aimed at projecting an image of Kim as healthy and active.

South Korea's progressive Hankyoreh newspaper said last week that Kim appeared in public 94 times this year, citing KCNA dispatches. It said the figure was a slight increase from the previous year, without providing exact numbers.

Over the last few months, the totalitarian leader's activities have included trips to a soccer match, a military unit, a steel plant, a soap factory and chicken farms.