North Korea announced it will stage a large-scale ball, a performance and fireworks display in Pyongyang, marking the 110th anniversary of the birth of the late regime founder Kim Il-sung on Friday.

The state-run Korean Central Television said a party attended by the younger generation will kick off the evening's festivities at 7 p.m., followed by a musical performance in Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square. The celebration will conclude with fireworks overlooking the Taedong River.

North Korea observers are cautiously speculating that regime leader Kim Jong-un, the late founder's grandson, may attend Friday events, as the North usually marks all fifth and tenth political anniversaries with major celebrations.

According to military and intelligence sources in Seoul, there is no sign of preparations for a military parade similar to the ones that took place marking the 100th and 105th anniversaries in 2012 and 2017, respectively.

Pyongyang is instead projected to hold a parade on April 25, marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday reiterated a warning against a possible provocation by the North, such as a nuclear or missile test, saying Washington is keeping close tabs on the situation.

[Photo : YONHAP News]