North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reappeared in state media for the first time in three weeks on Sunday, visiting the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang where the body of his father Kim Jong Il lies in state.

Kim’s visit alongside other top officials is an annual affair marking Kim Jong Il’s birthday, a national holiday named the Day of the Shining Star which falls on February 16.

It is only his fourth public appearance so far this year, however, making it historically an unusually quiet start to the year for the North Korean leader.

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