(CNN) Kim Jong Un made an appearance at a May Day celebration, at which he was pictured smoking and laughing, North Korean state-run media has reported. This would be the leader's first public appearance in about three weeks after global speculation over his health.
Kim spoke to officials at an event to celebrate Labor Day and inaugurate a fertilizer plant, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"When the Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing Plant goes into operation, it will represent a historical development in our country's fertilizer industry, it will be a glorious revolution and a splendid display of our nation's great economic potential, and it will be an uplifting banner that assures us of the achievements of our country's general economic frontline," Kim said, according to the KCNA report.
The report added that Kim "expressed satisfaction about the wonderful creation" and congratulated staff from Kim Chaek University of Technology, "repeatedly stressing that talents are a great source and a motive power of the development of the country."
State-run media North Korean Central Television broadcast a video of Kim's purported appearance at the celebration, where Kim can be seen walking, sitting on a stage alongside his sister Kim Yo Jong and other North Korean officials, smoking and laughing heartily.
When Kim is not walking, he is seen transported in a golf buggy sitting very close to other government officials in the vehicle who are not wearing surgical masks. Kim's security detail can be seen walking behind him and wearing black masks.
KCNA also released a still photograph purportedly showing Kim at the ceremony. The picture shows him cutting a red ribbon, with his sister Kim Yo Jong behind him.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a consultative meeting of senior officials in Pyongyang in this photo released by North Korea's state-run news agency on June 8.
Kim Jong Un is the third son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. His exact birth year is publicly unavailable, but he is widely believed to be in his 30s now.
Kim attends a military parade alongside his father, left, in October 2010.
A closer shot of Kim during the military parade in October 2010. A few weeks before, he had been promoted to four-star general and named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Kim salutes as a hearse carried his father's body in Pyongyang, North Korea, in December 2011. The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that power had been transferred to Kim Jong Un at the behest of his father in October of that year.
Kim claps as statues of his father and grandfather are unveiled in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Kim is accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, at an event in Pyongyang in July 2012.
In this December 2012 photo provided by North Korea's state-run news agency, Kim smokes a cigarette after the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite.
In January 2014, Kim hosted basketball legend Dennis Rodman and other former NBA players who were taking on North Koreans in an exhibition game. Kim grew up a massive basketball fan, and he and Rodman struck up a friendship. This was Rodman's fourth visit to North Korea, and he called
the game "basketball diplomacy."
Kim inspects a submarine in this undated photo released by North Korea's state-run news agency in June 2014.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un listens during the congress of the ruling Workers' Party in May 2016.
Kim waves as he walks past top-ranking party officials during a parade in Pyongyang in May 2016.
Kim and his wife visit a school in Pyongyang in March 2017.
Kim looks at a metal casing in this photo provided by North Korea's state-run news agency in September 2017. Earlier that year,
in a televised address, Kim claimed that North Korea was close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Kim attends an art performance in Pyongyang in September 2017. He said it was dedicated to nuclear scientists and technicians who worked on a hydrogen bomb, according to North Korea's state-run news agency. Kim claimed in 2015 that North Korea had added the hydrogen bomb to its nuclear arsenal. Outside observers were skeptical.
In this undated photo provided by North Korea's state-run news agency in September 2017, Kim watches the launch of what was said to be a Hwasong-12 missile.
In this September 2017 photo distributed by the North Korean government, Kim delivers a televised statement and accuses US President Donald Trump of being "mentally deranged."
Kim's forceful rhetoric came after Trump's tough talk at the UN General Assembly. Trump said the United States was ready to "totally destroy" North Korea if it was forced to defend its allies. Kim said Trump would "pay dearly" for the threats: "I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire."
Kim visits a farm in this September 2017 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency.
History was made in April 2018 when Kim became the first North Korean leader to cross into South Korean territory since 1953. South Korean President Moon Jae-in was waiting to greet him at the military demarcation line that has long divided the two Koreas. The two leaders
shook hands at the line, and then, in a symbolic move, Moon joined Kim on the northern side of the line before they crossed into the southern side together.
Their historic summit culminated with a declaration that the two countries — who have been technically at war for almost 70 years now — would later sign a peace treaty.
Kim and Moon embrace after signing a joint statement at their summit in April 2018.
Kim and Trump prepare to sign a document at the end of
their summit in Singapore in June 2018. It was the first meeting ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. In the document, the two sides agreed "to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." In exchange, Trump agreed to "provide security guarantees" to North Korea.
Kim speaks in Pyongyang after watching a gymnastic and artistic performance in September 2018.
Kim attends a welcoming ceremony after arriving at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, in March 2019. A second summit between Trump and Kim
ended abruptly in Vietnam after the two leaders were unable to reach a joint agreement as they did in their first summit.
Kim waves before boarding a train in Lang Son, Vietnam, in March 2019.
Kim attends a wreath-laying ceremony at a World War II memorial in Russia in April 2019. Kim was in Russia for
his first-ever meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kim and Putin pass by guards during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia.
Trump and Kim shake hands as the two
meet at the Korean Demilitarized Zone in June 2019. Trump briefly stepped over into North Korean territory, becoming the first sitting US leader to set foot in the nation. Trump said he invited Kim to the White House, and both leaders agreed to restart talks after nuclear negotiations stalled.
Kim rides a white horse in this photo released in October 2019 by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. He was riding during the first snow at Mount Paektu, a snowy mountain considered sacred to many Koreans.
The mountain is an important propaganda piece for North Korea, as the Kim dynasty has absorbed its mythology into the family's own lore and deification.
Kim is surrounded by troops in this undated photo released by the country's state-run news agency in November 2019.
Kim and his wife watch a performance to celebrate the Lunar New Year in January 2020.
Kim is seen in this undated photo released by the Korean Central News Agency in March 2020.
Kim is backed by troops in this image released in March 2020.
Kim appeared in North Korean state media in April 2020. He was attending a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party.
This photo, released by North Korea's state-run news agency in May 2020 reportedly shows Kim
attending a ceremony to mark the completion of a fertilizer factory in South Pyongan province. This would have been Kim's first public appearance since he missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday on April 15, leading to questions about the leader's health. CNN could not independently confirm the reporting of the news agency.
CNN cannot independently verify KCNA's or KCTV's reports, the authenticity of the photograph or video or the date it was shot.
As recently as last week, the United States was monitoring intelligence suggesting Kim was in grave danger following a surgical procedure. National security adviser Robert O'Brien said the US was "keeping a close eye" on reports about Kim's health.
"We're monitoring these reports very closely," O'Brien said during an interview with Fox News on April 21. "As you know, North Korea is a very closed society," he said.
Questions were raised about Kim's well-being after he missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday on April 15. He had been seen four days before that at a politburo meeting, according to KCNA.
North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Sunday that Kim sent thanks to workers who helped in remodeling the city of Samjiyon.
CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of Sunday's report and whether the note of thanks came directly from the leader.
The same newspaper said Friday that Kim had "sent thanks" to exemplary party members for their work promoting party policy. The article did not give details for when or how his sentiments were expressed.
It is not the first time North Korean media has reported on Kim's activities since news of his potential health issues emerged.
US President Donald Trump declined to comment on the May Day appearance report.
"I'd rather not comment on it yet, Kim Jong Un. We'll have something to say about it at the appropriate time," he told reporters before departing the White House for Camp David.
On Sunday, South Korean presidential adviser Moon Chung-in told CNN that the North Korean leader was "alive and well" despite speculation about his health.
The adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Kim had been staying in the Wonsan area, on the country's east coast, since April 13, adding: "No suspicious movements have so far been detected."
A website specializing in North Korean affairs published satellite images on Saturday that researchers said showed a train, "probably belonging to Kim," which had been parked at a railway station serving his luxurious Wonsan compound on the country's eastern coast since at least April 21.
CNN's Betsy Klein and Jake Kwon contributed to this report.