A North Korean military official once known as a key handler of the ruling party's finances, has returned to the public eye following a seven-month absence, reports coming out of the reclusive country showed Wednesday.

The 59-year-old Han Kwang-sang has been seen making his first appearance since November as he accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his visit to a terrapin farm in Pyongyang earlier this week.

In July 2013, Han was promoted to the director of the finance and accounting department under the Workers' Party of Korea.

But he was not seen for about eight months since March 2015 amid rumors that he might have been purged for corruption allegations.

He resurfaced in November of last year, and resumed public activities. However, Han was not mentioned by the North's state media for unknown reasons until he joined the leader's field inspection tour this week.

Experts said that Han seemed to be stripped of his title of party director, given that he failed to be named a member of the WPK's central committee at the party congress held in May.

"If Han had taken the post of the party's director, he must have been elected a member of the party central committee at least," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute. "He appears to deal with the military's finance and accounting."

Meanwhile, the latest pictures carried by the North's main newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed Han wearing the badge of a lieutenant general on his suit, higher than his previous rank of major general. (Yonhap)