N. Korea army vows 'merciless' response to USA provocation

Few countries are openly or enthusiastically allied with North Korea, but the intersection between this conflict and the ongoing crisis in Syria could force nations like Russian Federation and China to choose sides.

In Pyongyang, residents are careful to choose their words, and kept on message with the government's official line.

Joseph Bermudez, an analyst for North Korean monitoring group 38 North, said preparations could even be seen on satellite images, which showed thousands of people and hundreds of vehicles practicing ahead of the event.

A North Korean man looks at a model of the Unha 3 space launch vehicle displayed at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Sinpo is on the east coast of North Korea.

SCHIMTZ: Well, tomorrow, April 15 is a major holiday on the North Korean calendar. Amid rising regional tensions, Pyongyang residents have been preparing for North Korea's mo.

Flanked by senior party and military officials, Kim inspected the choreographed military pageant, returning a salute by goose-stepping soldiers marching at the square, according to live footage aired by the state TV broadcaster.

There is also intense speculation that North Korea could carry out a sixth nuclear bomb test or another missile launch - possibly a long-range missile - on Saturday. "The North Koreans are serious about building a nuclear force that can threaten US forces in South Korea, Japan and the continental United States".

Oh, by the way.Vice President Pence will be in South Korea today. It has said it has developed and would launch a missile that can strike the mainland United States but officials and experts believe it is some time away from mastering the necessary technology.

Single-engine propeller-powered planes flew in a 105 formation overhead.

Amid the fanfare and regalia of its founder's birthday celebrations, North Korea rolled out what appeared to be new missiles - a brazen display as the country ratchets up its rhetoric against efforts to curb its weapons programs.

White House officials said they were hopeful that China could dissuade its communist neighbour from conducting a nuclear explosion or a missile test.

China, the only country with leverage over its neighbor to the south, has warned both the us and North Korea to lower their aggressive rhetoric.

The North conducted two such tests past year alone. They have deployed an [intercontinental ballistic missile] that's capable of reaching the continental United States...that they've never tested. While North Korea is likely to go ahead with a planned nuclear test today, or within the coming days, the United States has been asked by almost all parties to show restraint. USA satellite imagery suggests the country could conduct another underground nuclear test at any time. The secretive state also showed off a submarine-launched missile that it successfully fired past year.

An aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, is heading to waters off Korea in a show of force.

"Our toughest counteraction against the U.S. and its vassal forces will be taken in such a merciless manner as not to allow the aggressors to survive", North Korea's official KCNA news agency quoted its military as saying in a statement.

China's national carrier, Air China, will suspend flights between Beijing and North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, from Monday amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula involving the United States, Chinese state media say.

South Korea's military also detected the failed launch. It has warned of a nuclear attack on the United States in retaliation for any sign of aggression, a threat that has been made numerous times in the past.