North Korea celebrates the 110th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung with dance, songs and fireworks on Friday evening. No military parade or other provocative acts have been confirmed so far.

Pyongyang regards the birthday of the country's founder and the grandfather of the country's current leader Kim Jong Un, as its most important national holiday.
It has said that this year's 110th anniversary will be celebrated on a grand scale.

State-run Korean Central Television reported celebrations at a square in central Pyongyang including a dancing event, a music concert, and fireworks with live footage.

There had been speculation that Pyongyang would mark the anniversary with a military parade, or a ballistic missile launch, or the country's 7th nuclear test.

South Korea's Unification Ministry officials told reporters on Friday that the government had kept a close watch on Pyongyang as it made preparations for a military parade.

They noted the possibility that the North might hold such a parade on other anniversaries, like the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army on April 25.

Before the event, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said that the country's military and intelligence authorities did not predict a military parade for this year's anniversary.

The US military has deployed an aircraft carrier in the Sea of Japan. It also plans to conduct joint drills with South Korean forces starting Monday in South Korea.
Experts warn that Pyongyang may respond to such moves by the United States with provocations.