NORTH Koreans commemorated the 61st anniversary today of the armistice that effectively ended the Korean war.

There were no large-scale military parades or public appearances by leader Kim Jong Un, who paid his respects just after midnight at the mausoleum where his father and grandfather lie in state.

Veterans, now in their seventies and eighties, many wearing uniforms laden with medals and clutching bouquets of flowers, were celebrated in patriotic events around the country.