KYODO NEWS - Aug 13, 2017 - 21:41 | All, World

North Korea began Sunday a series of events to sing the praises of its ruling Kim family, at a time of heightened tensions with the United States.

Five days of "international" political and cultural programs to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Kim Jong Un becoming the nation's leader will take place in Pyongyang and Mt. Paektu, with some 200 foreigners with friendly ties to North Korea among those attending, according to organizers.

The celebrations are being held as this year also marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of its late founder, Kim Il Sung, and 75th anniversary of the birth of his son Kim Jong Il, the previous leader who died of heart failure in 2011.

On the first day of the events, participants visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, where the embalmed bodies of the two past leaders lie in state, and other key sites in the North Korean capital.

On Monday there will be an event at Mt. Paektu, a volcanic mountain on the border with China long regarded as the mythological birthplace of the Korean people.

North Korea's official version of history says Kim Jong Il was born in a log cabin on the slopes of the mountain, from where his father led an anti-Japanese partisan group.

A highlight is to be the event held Tuesday in Pyongyang, which is to be open to foreign media.

North Korea first announced plans to hold such events last October. But they will now be held as North Korea and U.S. President Donald Trump exchange increasingly fiery rhetoric.

Angered by new sanctions imposed this month by the U.N. Security Council, North Korea has threatened to fire ballistic missiles over Japan to land in waters near the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

North Korea has said it will develop a plan by mid-August to launch four missiles near the island, home to about 7,000 U.S. troops and 160,000 people.

That prompted Trump to tweet that America is ready for war. "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely."