Officers visit the birthplace of the North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, the day before the 105th anniversary of his birth tomorrow. The occasion is often marked with military displays

War could break out in Korea “at any minute”, China warned today, as North Korea insisted that it would respond to any preemptive attack with nuclear retaliation.

The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, pleaded with Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un to step back from the brinkman over North Korea’s apparent preparations for a sixth nuclear test, possibly to coincide with a big military parade tomorrow

“Lately, tensions have risen... and one has the feeling that a conflict could break out at any moment,” Mr Wang said in Beijing. “If a war occurs, the result is a situation in which everybody loses and there can be no winner.

“We call on all parties to refrain from provoking and threatening each other, whether in words or actions,