North Korea's "peerlessly brilliant" Kim turns 68

Kim, in questionable health as he turned 68 and trying to pave the way for succession in Asia's only communist dynasty, was facing one of the most difficult periods of his rule due to economic measures that sparked a rare public backlash.

He has come under pressure to return to disarmament-for-aid nuclear talks due to U.N. sanctions imposed after a May 2009 nuclear test and a botched currency move that nearly halted commerce late last year and worsened the state's economic woes.

At home, Kim was hailed as "the peerlessly brilliant commander of the present era," the North's nominal head of state said in a national celebration of his birthday.

The number two leader Kim Yong-nam also "underscored the need to put an end to the hostile relations between (North Korea) and the U.S. through dialogue and negotiations," the North's official KCNA news agency said.

Kim Jong-il's nearly 16-year rule has survived a famine that killed an estimated 1 million of the North's 22 million people and isolation caused by its nuclear brinkmanship, but a currency revaluation implemented late last year has shown cracks in his leadership.