North Korean leader Kim Jong-il raised his public profile in May, silencing news reports about his rumored death.

While Kim made just 18 public appearances the first four months of the year, he's conducted as many public activities this month as of Thursday.

So far this month, he's inspected military units or attended military functions on eleven occasions. The other seven appearances involved visits to business companies or other sites.

Notably, his visits to military units increased sharply after Rodong Sinmun, the organ for the Workers' Party, began to attack South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's policy toward the isolated country.