Posters and signs hailing North Korea's nuclear capabilities have appeared on the streets of Pyongyang, even as the nation braces for international sanctions, according to recent visitors to the city.
Official praise for the successful detonation of the nuclear device on Oct. 9 is in contrast to the muted response immediately following the tests.
"Let us make shine forever our becoming a nuclear power, a historic incident in the 5,000 years of our people's history," read one sign in front of Pyongyang's train station.
A similar sign, in white letters on a red background, was also seen in front of the Pyongyang Grand Theater.
Other newly erected signs praised Kim Jong-Il personally, crediting his leadership: "Long live the celestial Gen. Kim Jong-Il, who has established a world-class nuclear power!"
Earlier this month, the Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper of Korean residents in Japan, reported that slogans about the nuclear test appeared at 19 major sites in the capital.
North Koreans have also staged rallies to support Kim Jong-Il's nuclear option. At the latest rally on Nov. 21 in the North's port city of Wonsan, 50,000 citizens pledged unconditional loyalty to Kim Jong-Il.
On Nov. 20, more than 100,000 citizens, including workers and officials from the party, government and social organizations gathered in Hamheung to herald Kim's leadership in making the country a nuclear power.
Kim, who in the past used most of his public activities for the military, recently increased his "on-spot" guidance tours of industrial sites in an apparent bid to brace for UN-backed sanctions, South Korean intelligence sources said.
Kim officially appeared in public nine times since the United Nations adopted a resolution sanctioning Pyongyang for its nuclear test. He spent more than a week in early November on inspection visits to the country's industrial cities on the eastern coast.
