North Korea low key on Kim's birthday

North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who is believed to be 33 or 34 and the world's youngest head of state, is marking his birthday in a low-key manner.

Kim Jong Un who ushered in 2017 with his annual address to the nation is celebrating a birthday. He is believed to be 33 or 34-years-old. Source: AAP

North Korea is marking Kim Jong Un's birthday in a decidedly low-key manner.

Though the young leader's birthday is well-known throughout the country, it has yet to be celebrated with the kind of adulatory festivities that accompany the birthdays of his late grandfather and father.

Pyongyang residents did what they do every second Sunday of the new year - joined in sports events.

Kim Jong Un, who is believed to be 33 or 34 and the world's youngest head of state, assumed power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in late 2011.

The only time Kim has been honoured in public on his birthday was in 2014, when former NBA star Dennis Rodman sang Happy Birthday to him before an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang.