Kim Hailed As 'Great Sun' Ahead Of Coronation

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been hailed as the "Great Sun of the 21st Century" by state media as the country prepares for a rare ruling party congress seen as his formal "coronation".

The last congress took place over four days in 1980, when Kim's grandfather, founding leader Kim Il-Sung was still in power.

The rare gathering has involved mobilising the entire country in a 70-day campaign that came to a close on Monday.

The congress itself begins on Friday and is expected to cement Mr Kim's status as supreme leader more than four years after he came to power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il.

It is described by the ruling party's official mouthpiece, the Rodong Sinmun daily, as a "sacred" event that will enshrine Mr Kim's achievements, from infrastructure projects to developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The newspaper said the country had won numerous victories through a national struggle against UN sanctions over the North's nuclear programme, the threat posed by US-South Korea military drills and international criticism of the North's human rights record.

Referring to the country's nuclear arsenal as a "precious sword", Rodong said the weapons were a "treasure of all happiness that will ensure many things in decades to come".

Defector-run news websites in Seoul, with sources in the North, say there has been a tightening of security around Pyongyang in recent weeks, with strict controls on movement in and out of the capital.

"Anyone getting in trouble with the authorities during the congress preparation period is being treated as a political offender and punished accordingly," the Daily NK website quoted one source as saying.

State media, meanwhile, have been busy during the 70-day campaign running countless stories praising examples of individual selflessness and sacrifice.

Some observers believe Mr Kim will use the congress to confirm the completion of North Korea's nuclear deterrent and announce a switch in focus towards economic development.

In his first public address as leader, at a military parade in April 2012, he said he was determined that North Koreans would "never have to tighten their belts again".