Nat CastañedaApril 14, 2017Wong Maye-EComment

Amid rising regional tensions, Pyongyang preps for Kim Il Sung anniversary

Nat CastañedaApril 14, 2017Wong Maye-EComment

Pyongyang residents have been preparing for North Korea's most important holiday: the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un, amid rising regional tensions.

Kim Il-sung was born on April 15, 1912, in Mangyongdae, Pyongyang, North Korea, and ruled from 1948, the country's founding, until 1994, when he died.

Associated Press photojournalist based in Singapore, Wong Maye-E, has been on assignment in North Korea covering the lead up to tomorrow's holiday.

North Korean school children perform at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace while an image of their leader Kim Jong Un is projected on a screen Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean schoolgirls perform at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

A North Korean student at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace waves from beneath the curtain after a performance on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean school children perform at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace while an image of their late leader Kim Il Sung is projected on a screen Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

A North Korean student salutes the audience at the start of a performance at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean school children perform at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace while an image of a space launch vehicle is projected on a screen on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean sing at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean school boys sing at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

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. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean schoolgirls attend a dance class at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Pedestrians walk in the rain beneath a sign which reads "Great President, Extraordinary Political Veteran" referring to late leader Kim Il Sung on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Koreans offer flowers in front of a mural of late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)