April 11, 2012

North Korea marks 100th anniversary of founder's birth

North Korea will mark the 100th anniversary of its founding father's birth on April 15. Kim Il-Sung ruled the communist country from its inception in 1948 until his death in 1994. The country is also making international news with the planned launch of a satellite, which concerns many other countries because of the nuclear capabilities of the rocket being used. Officials escorted a group of international media from the capital to the see the rocket in Tongchang-Ri earlier this week. Compiled here are group of recent images from inside the country. -- Lloyd Young (30 photos total)

North Koreans pay their respects in front of two portraits, one of founding leader Kim Il-Sung (left) and the other of his son Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang on April 9. North Korea is counting down to the 100th anniversary of its founder's birth on April 15 with top level meetings and a controversial rocket launch scheduled in coming days to bolster his grandson's credentials. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images)

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A female North Korean soldier working as a guide enters what was a secret military camp during the fight against the Japanese and the site of what North Koreans say is the home of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung and the birthplace of his son and late leader Kim Jong-Il at the foot of Mount Paektu, North Korea. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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The hoof of a deer used as a door handle hangs on the door of the small cabin that is said to have been the home of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung and the birthplace of his son and late leader Kim Jong-Il at what was a secret military camp during the fight against the Japanese. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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A bronze monument of the late North Koran leader Kim Il-Sung stands at the Samjiyon Grand Monument area in Samjiyon, North Korea at the base of Mount Paektu. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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Local visitors line up to tour at Mangyongdae, the birthplace of North Korea founder Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 9. (Bobby Yip/Reuters) #

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The painting of North Korea's late presidents Kim Il-Sung (left) and his son, Kim Jong-Il hang in an auditorium of a textile factory in Pyongyang on April 9. North Korea is counting down to the 100th anniversary of its founder's birth, with top level meetings and a controversial rocket launch scheduled in coming days to bolster his grandson's credentials. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images) #

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North Koreans dance during a rehearsal for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of their founding leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 9. North Korea is counting down to the 100th anniversary of its founder's birth on April 15. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images) #

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North Korean commuters ride inside a trolly car in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 9. (David Guttenfelder/Asociated Press) #

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North Koreans are seen from the window of a train along the railway line between Pyongyang and the North Phyongan Province on the west coast on April 8. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images) #

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A North Korean man clears snow from a path next to a monument at the site of the Samjiyon Grand Monument in Samjiyon, North Korea on April 3. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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A North Korean soldier is seen from the window of a train standing in a an observation post along the railway heading from Pyongyang to the North Pyongan Province on the west coast on April 8. North Korea's long range rocket was on its launch platform, AFP reporters said on April 8, as the regime again insisted it was to send a peaceful satellite and not a missile. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images) #

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A factory representative gives an introduction outside Kim Jong-Suk Pyongyang Silk Mill in Pyongyang on April 9. The factory is named after the wife of North Korea founder Kim Il-Sung. (Bobby Yip/Reuters) #

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North Korean employees work in a textile factory in Pyongyang on April 9. North Korea is counting down to the 100th anniversary of its founder's birth, with top-level meetings and a controversial rocket launch scheduled in the coming days. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images) #

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A North Korean traffic coordinator stands on duty in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 10. (Ng Han Guan/Associated Press) #

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A parent (left) photographs pupils after they took their seats during a ceremony to mark the start of a new school year at Pyongyang Middle School No. 1 in Pyongyang North Korea on April 2. (Jon Chol Jin/Associated Press) #

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A North Korean man enjoys an evening of bowling at the Golden Lanes bowling alley in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 6. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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A North Korean student learns to drive a tractor on a computerized driving simulator at the Samjiyon Schoolchildrens' Palace in Samjiyon, North Korea. The facility was built for children to take part in after school programs in the arts, sciences, sports, computer and vocational training. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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North Korean men who work for a hotel cook potatoes in a locally traditional way for guests in Samjiyon, North Korea on April 3. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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North Korean participants in a national Tae Kwon do festival are judged at the Tae Kwon do Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 7. The sporting festival is part of ongoing celebrations being held across the country to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung. (Kim Kwang Hyon/Associated Press) #

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A North Korean man rides a bicycle on the grounds of a communal apple farm on the outskirts of Pyongyang, North Korea on April 10. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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North Korean farmers, working in a field, are seen through the window of a train heading to North Phyongan Province, about 50 kilometers (35 miles) south of the border town of Sinuiju along North Korea's west coast on April 8. North Korean officials escorted a group of international media by train from Pyongyang to see the country's Unha-3 rocket, slated for liftoff between April 12-16, at Sohae Satellite Station in Tongchang-Ri, North Korea. (Ng Han Guan/Associated Press) #

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Staff in the Kim Jong-Suk Pyongyang Silk Mill take part in a self-study session in Pyongyang on April 9. The factory is named after the wife of North Korea founder Kim Il-Sung. (Bobby Yip/Reuters) #

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Ryu Kum-Chol, deputy director of space exploration in the Department of Space Technology of North Korea, is seen on the display of a video camera during a press conference held ahead of a satellite rocket launch in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 10. North Korean space officials said Tuesday that all assembly and preparations for a planned satellite launch have been completed, while denying it is a cover for missile test. (Ng Han Guan/Associated Press) #

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A North Korean train worker signals a passing train heading to North Phyongan Province, about 50 kilometers (35 miles) south of the border town of Sinuiju along North Korea's west coast on April 8. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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North Korea's Unha-3 rocket, slated for liftoff between April 12-16, stands at Sohae Satellite Station in Tongchang-Ri, North Korea on April 8. North Korean space officials have moved a long-range rocket into position for this week's controversial satellite launch, vowing Sunday to push ahead with their plans in defiance of international warnings against violating a ban on missile activity. (Ng Han Guan/Associated Press) #

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North Korean soldiers wait to check journalists as they arrive at the Tongchang-Ri space center in North Phyongan Province on April 8. North Korea is counting down to the 100th anniversary of its founder's birth Kim Il-Sung on April 15 with top level meetings and a controversial rocket launch scheduled in coming days to bolster his grandson's credentials. (Pedro Ugarte/Reuters) #

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A visitor poses with a soldier on guard in front of the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket sitting on a launch pad at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site, during a guided media tour by North Korean authorities in the northwest of Pyongyang on April 8. (Bobby Yip/Reuters) #

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Scientists are seen monitoring the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket in a control room at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site during a guided media tour by North Korean authorities in the northwest of Pyongyang on April 8. North Korea has readied a rocket for a launch from a forested valley in its remote northwest this week that will showcase the reclusive state's ability to fire a missile with the capacity to hit the continental United States. The Korean characters on the banner reads "Let us occupy the high target of building a powerful nation by relying on the strength of science and technology". (Bobby Yip/Reuters) #

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The satellite that North Korean officials say will be launched with the country's Unha-3 rocket, slated for liftoff between April 12-16, is shown to the media at Sohae Satellite Station in Tongchang-Ri, North Korea on April 8. North Korean space officials have moved a long-range rocket into position for this week's controversial satellite launch, vowing Sunday to push ahead with their plans in defiance of international warnings against violating a ban on missile activity. (David Guttenfelder/Associated Press) #

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The North Korean Unha-3 rocket is pictured at Tangachai-ri space center on April 8. North Korea has confirmed their intention to launch the rocket next week despite international condemnations. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images) #