(NECN/NBC News: Jim Maceda) - As North Korea celebrated the birthday of its founder Kim Il Sung, tension continued on the Korean peninsula. The international focus remains on the threat of a missile launch from the north. Over the weekend, Secretary of State John Kerry hinted that the US may be willing to sit down with the North Koreans.
Monday was supposed to be the most likely day that the North Korea military fired a missile but it’s becoming less and less likely with every passing hour.
We are now in night time here and there hasn't been a missile launch yet, not even any sign of movement around the missile launch site.
What we have seen are birthday celebrations, singing, dancing and laying of flowers.
Now that doesn't mean North Korea won't attempt to launch in the days ahead, and the South Korean government is maintaining a high state of alert just in case.
Over the weekend, Secretary of State John Kerry not only invited North Korea back to what they call the Six Party talks, which have been stalled now for four years, but he also offered direct talks to Kim Jong Un, which is something Kim really wants.
Kerry, however, says Kim must give up his nuclear weapons first before any talks take place.
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"The United States remains open to authentic and credible negotiations on denuclearization but the burden is on Pyongyang," Kerry said.
So it's at this point it's really hard to see how that gap can be bridged through diplomacy even through the help of the Chinese who, as North Korea's main ally, do have a lot of leverage and a lot to say.
