North Koreans are apparently untroubled by a stream of bellicose rhetoric from Pyongyang but are busy gearing up for imminent celebrations and the special rations that come with them, AP reported.

"The focus in Pyongyang was less on preparing for war and more on beautifying the city ahead of the nation's biggest holiday: the April 15 birthday of the nation's founder, Kim Il-sung. Soldiers put down their rifles to blanket the barren ground with sod and students picked up shovels to help plant trees," the agency wrote Wednesday.

"On the streets of Pyongyang, there was no sense of panic. Women with coats thrown over traditional dresses rushed through the spring chill after leaving a rehearsal for a dance planned for Kim Il-sung’s birthday celebrations."