Madrid  - Spain's King Juan Carlos was received with republican protests when visiting a mining region in Asturias in the north, the daily El Mundo said Friday.

The monarch had to bear with flags of Spain's 1931-36 Second Republic, shouts of "long live the republic" and loudspeakers playing the republican anthem on his way to visit a coal miners' training centre in Sama de Langreo on Thursday.

Juan Carlos, who became king by the will of General Francisco Franco after the dictator's death in 1975, earned his popularity mainly by thwarting a coup attempt in 1981.

Some criticism of the monarchy and minor protests have occurred in the recent years, mainly in the north-eastern region of Catalonia, which seeks a greater autonomy from Spain.