The photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il released by the North's state-run media Sunday is believed to have been shot this month in a Pyongyang suburb.

A source says Kim summoned the soccer players to a rehabilitation facility's soccer field so he could watch a match.

The source said the photo appears to be authentic given Kim's clothes, the grass and trees shown in the background and the confirmed date of the picture.

The South Korean government believes a disorder in the right part of Kim's brain has paralyzed his left hand but has not left him incapable of ruling the country.