North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il has reportedly visited a soccer field that was recently constructed in North Pyongan Province as the 2010 World Cup is under way in South Africa.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that Kim assessed the stadium facilities and stressed the need to actively use the soccer field to enhance soldiers' physical strength.

The report stopped short of elaborating on the size or location of the stadium, and did not provide details on the facilities.

The report added that Kim also visited a machinery plant where he reviewed newly manufactured excavators and a new research center. The report did not mention precisely when the reclusive leader made the visits.