Scores of pro-North Korea “friendship” organisations and government delegations have been arriving in the North Korean capital in the past few days for the event.

Mr Depardieu was in the news in recent days in his native France after prosecutors launched a preliminary probe into allegations he raped a young French actress and singer in his Paris mansion last month.

The actor "absolutely denies any attack, any rape", said his lawyer, Herve Témime.

Mr Depardieu, who has appeared in around 170 films, is a “friend” of Russian president Vladimir Putin and holds dual French-Russian nationality.

It is not known whether Gérard Depardieu will take part in the festivities or is a guest credit: Wong Maye-E/AP

On Sunday, North Korea is expected to put on a major military parade to mark its 70th anniversary.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as the North is officially known, was proclaimed on September 9, 1948, three years after Moscow and Washington divided the peninsula between them in the closing days of the Second World War.

With a diplomatic thaw underway with neighbouring South Korea and recent talks between leader Kim Jong-un and US president Donald Trump, analysts say Pyongyang may choose not to show off its latest missiles as in previous ceremonies.

More than 120 foreign journalists have been allowed to cover the events, North Korea’s largest-scale media invitation in recent years. But the precise schedule remains a mystery - standard procedure in the secretive country.