North Korea ? Leader Kim Jong Il attended a classical music concert, North Korea’s state-run news agency said Thursday in its third report in less than a week on the public appearances of a leader believed to have suffered a stroke several months ago.

Though Pyongyang’s state media never provides exact dates when reporting on Kim’s public activities, the recent rush of such reports suggests his health has improved after he reportedly underwent brain surgery following a stroke in mid-August.

Pyongyang appears to be trying to show Washington that Kim is in firm control of the communist nation during the U.S. presidential election as the outside world continues to question his condition, one analyst said.