The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday celebrated the 62nd anniversary of its founding as world attention continues to focus on a major conference of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the first of its kind in 44 years.

State broadcasters were airing patriotic songs in the day while the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper ran an editorial urging the country's civilians and servicemen to be closely united around the WPK led by top leader Kim Jong Il. A state banquet will be held at People's Palace of Culture on the night to mark the special occasion.

In the streets of Pyongyang, national flags were flying high. There were less traffic than usual and many DPRK citizens chose to spend the holiday at home.

People from all walks of life paid tribute to late DPRK founder Kim Il Sung as they put baskets of flowers in front of his bronze statue in the capital city.

The founding of the DPRK was a brilliant victory of the late leader's Juche-oriented idea, Choe Yong Rim, premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK, told a national meeting on Wednesday to commemorate the DPRK founding anniversary.

Participants of the meeting included senior DPRK party, army and state officials, deputies to the Supreme People's Assembly, and delegates from all social sectors as well as foreign diplomats, according to the official KCNA news agency.

The DPRK has greeted the golden age of its development, demonstrating the invincible might under Kim Jong Il's energetic leadership of patriotic devotion, said the premier.

Accelerating economic development to improve people's living standards was of utmost importance, he said.

Choe said the DPRK would like to improve its relations with South Korea under the "June 15 Joint Declaration," adding that his country would "beat back with all its power, including nuclear deterrent" the United States and South Korea, if they persisted in igniting war on the peninsula.

He also said that the two recent visits by Kim Jong Il to China contributed greatly to the peace and stability in northeast Asia and the world, and significantly encouraged the people of the DPRK to construct a great, prosperous and powerful nation.

Kim Jong Il visited China from Aug. 26 to 30 at the invitation of Chinese president Hu Jintao. He also paid an unofficial visit to China in May.

The DPRK top leader said in his latest visit to China that he hoped for an early resumption of the six-party talks to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jong Il has attended a concert given by the State Merited Chorus to mark the country's founding anniversary, the KCNA reported Wednesday.

Kim, also supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and chairman of the National Defense Commission, enjoyed the performance with senior party and military officials, according to the report.

The top DPRK leader has been receiving floral baskets and gifts from the country and overseas congratulating him for the founding anniversary, official press reported.

Both Cuban leader Raul Castro and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla sent floral baskets to the DPRK Embassy in Havana.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also sent a floral basket to Kim via Palestinian ambassador to the DPRK Ismail Ahmed Mohamed Hasan.

The world's media are still busy making speculation about the ruling party conference. But there has been no official announcement on the exact date and venue of the meeting as of Thursday since the Politburo of the party's Central Committee announced on June 23 that such a meeting will be held in early September.

The Rodong Sinmun said Monday that delegates were still coming from all parts of the country to Pyongyang for the conference, during which policy and personnel changes of the party will be decided.