North Korea leader Kim Jong II made a rare public appearance Wednesday joining his father's 15th memorial ceremony, the North Korea's Chosun TV reported.

His public appearance was the first since he attended the April 11 meeting of Communist Party members.

'We will further strengthen our military forces, and develop the defense industry, and boost a spirit of respect for the military so that we will defend our socialist mother nation, Kim Yong Nam, North Korea's number two leader announced in the ceremony.

We are fully committed to becoming a world power by 2012 which marks the 100th anniversary of our founding father's birth,' he added.

Footage from Chosun TV showed Kim dressed in a khaki suit, walking with a slight limp into a Pyongyang auditorium, looking more gaunt and with less hair than in April.

Kim bowed his head during a moment of silence. A portrait of a giant red flag with an image of his father, a smiling Kim Il Sung, dominated the backdrop.

Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, died of heart failure on July 8, 1994 at the age of 82.

Wednesday's memorial came after the North conducted a number of ballistic missile tests last weekend.