Kim, known to his people as the "sun of the 21st century," turns 63 on Wednesday, and Pyongyang's news media lavished praise on him.

North Korea "finds itself in a festive mood on the eve of the birthday of leader Kim Jong-Il, the most auspicious holiday of the nation," the country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

North Korea used the occasion to fan anti-US sentiment.

At a meeting of government, party and military officials in Pyongyang, Choe Thae-Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party, accused the United States of seeking to "isolate and stifle" North Korea.

"If the US recklessly opts for a war of aggression despite the repeated warning of the DPRK (North Korea), our army and people will mobilize all potentials... and deal merciless crushing blows at the aggressors," he said.

The birthday comes after North Korea stated last Thursday that it possessed nuclear weapons and was pulling indefinitely out of multi-lateral talks on ending a standoff over its nuclear ambitions.

The Stalinist country has defended its nuclear programs as a self-defense measure, fearing it could be the next target of a US attack.

North Korea traditionally organizes cultural and sporting events to mark Kim's birthday and distributes extra rations to ordinary Koreans who are urged to renew pledges of loyalty to their leader.

"Pyongyang and local towns are in festive attire and political and cultural functions have been held," KCNA said.

North Korea has celebrated Kim's birthday as one of the impoverished country's biggest holidays.

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