North Korean leader Kim Jong-un logged his busiest year of public appearances in nine years in 2025.

According to an analysis released Sunday by the Korea Institute for National Unification, 118 public activities by Kim had been reported by North Korean state media as of the end of November.

When including additional appearances reported between Dec. 1 and 27 that have yet to be tallied by the institute, the total rises to 131.

The figure slightly exceeds last year's 127 appearances and marks Kim's most active year since 2016, when he was reported to have made 131 public appearances.

Analysts interpret the uptick as reflecting Kim's push to expand diplomatic engagements abroad, including appearances on multilateral stages, while accelerating implementation of five-year plans across political, military and livelihood sectors at home.