PYONGYANG -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Saturday kicked off a grand celebrations marking the 105th birth anniversary of its founder, Kim Il-sung.

Soldiers began marching into a grand plaza in central Pyongyang bearing the name of the late supreme leader in the morning to form a pattern with the shape of a sun which symbolizes Kim.

DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un and members of the country's political and military leadership are attending the ceremony.

This year's celebrations are being held when tension is high between the DPRK and the United States over Washington's threat to attack Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests.