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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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