Hundreds of young people in North Korea held dancing parties on Thursday (April 11) in Pyongyang, as South Korea and the United States remained on high alert for any North Korea attack.

North Korea's state-run television KRT on Thursday showed young men in suits and young women, dressed in brightly coloured traditional costumes, dancing in various squares to celebrate the first anniversary of its leader Kim Jong-un's official ascent to power.

Despite the heady rhetoric from North Korea, Pyongyang does not appear to have placed its 1.2 million strong armed forces on high alert.

Most observers say Pyongyang has no intention of igniting a conflict that could bring about its own destruction, but warn of the risks of miscalculation on the highly-militarised Korean peninsula.

North Korea is due to observe several anniversaries in the coming few days that could be pretexts for displays of military strength.

A North Korean mobile missile launcher has been put into a firing position with rockets facing skyward, reported Japan's Kyodo News on Thursday, citing a Japan defense official.

Pyongyang has threatened a nuclear strike on the United States - something it does not have the capacity to do - and war with South Korea. These threats, however, appear to be aimed in part at boosting internal support for the North Korean leader.

Presented by Adam Justice