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Aug. 14 (UPI) -- North Korea invited foreign journalists into the country for coverage of the fifth anniversary of Kim Jong Un's assumption of control. The celebration is a five-day event this week idolizing the North Korean leadership.
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Pyongyang may be emphasizing the "international" character of the event, by inviting more than "200 foreigners with friendly ties to North Korea," Japan's Kyodo News reported Monday.
On Sunday, North Korea allowed visitors to pay their respects to the embalmed bodies of founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il at Pyongyang's Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, according to the report.
Kim Jong Il died in 2011 after a heart failure that led to the swift succession of power to his son, the current leader. Kim Jong Un then fully assumed power in 2012.
On Monday, there may have been a commemorative event at Mount Paektu, a dormant volcano situated along the China-North Korea border that is also the official designated birthplace of Kim Jong Il.
The focus on domestic events follows a week of verbal exchanges between Washington and Pyongyang that has culminated in high levels of tensions between the two countries.
North Korea had said it would create an "enveloping fire" around the U.S. territory of Guam.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened "fire and fury" against North Korea, then later said fire and fury is not enough in response to Pyongyang's threats.
