SEOUL. June 5: North Korea's reclusive leader visited a front-line military . unit Wednesday in his first reported public appearance in more than q month, the communist country's official media reported, reports AP.

Kim Jong Il's visit came amid Increased tension along the two nations' heavily guarded border.

The North marched heavily armed troops Into the demilitarised zone in April in violation of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Its troops again violated the buffer zone in May.

Kim. visiting a unit guarding the border near the east coast, said: the enemies should not be allowed to intrude into an inch of the territory’ and that "the precious gains of socialism the Korean people achieved and defended at the cost of blood should be safeguarded with credit," the North's official Korea Central News Agency said.