Juliet Hindell commentary over the latest pictures from Pyonyang

The central square of the capital, Pyongyang, was filled with marching parades, and huge banners extolled the values of the Stalinist state.

The lavish festivities were held despite the severe economic crisis, with many people reported by aid agencies to be near starvation.

Pride of place for the armed forces

Wave after wave of goose-stepping soldiers opened the massive display.

Hundreds of thousands of people filled the central squares, many holding placards which formed huge slogans boasting of North Korea's strength.

Choirs sang patriotic songs to the accompaniment of massed marching bands.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made a rare appearance, saluting and applauding the marchers.

Listen to a North Korean song composed in honour of Kim Il Sung

In a speech made by one of his ruling elite, his position as supreme leader was confirmed.

The position of president, held by his father Kim Il-sung, is still vacant.

Isolated and impoverished

Founder of the North Korean state, Kim Il Sung is venerated across the country

Half a century ago, when the Korean Peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel, many believed it was the North that held out the greatest economic promise. That view was emphasised as South Korea was devastated by the impact of the Korean War.

But in recent years - particularly since the collapse of the Soviet Union - the Stalinist government in Pyongyang has found itself at the head of a country that humanitarian officials have said is near starvation after catastrophic floods.

The two Koreas remain technically at war and the North is now entering its second half century one of the most isolated and impoverished countries in the world. But Korea specialist Aidan Foster-Carter says North Korea has undoubtedly shown remarkable powers of endurance:

Aidan Foster-Carter, Korea Specialist: The North Koreans are very good at survival

"It is remarkable that, almost a decade after most other regimes of this type - communist regimes collapsed in eastern Europe - this one hasn't. And in fact political and social order appear to be firm despite these enormous privations."

While many write off North Korea as a burnt- out state, its rocket launch last Monday shows it can still spring suprises.

Whether it was a missile, as originally thought, or whether it was a satellite launch, as North Korea claims, remains to be seen.