Report: North Korean Leader Attends Parliament

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in a 2006 photo

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il attended a rare session of the country's parliament today.

Kim, who is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008, missed the previous session of the Supreme People's Assembly in April.

At today's session, the rubber-stamp parliament replaced the country's premier, who is considered the top official responsible for the communist North's economic policy.

The session came amid mounting antagonism between North and South Korea following the sinking in March of a South Korean navy ship -- believed to be by the North -- that killed 46 sailors.

compiled from agency reports