No public celebrations as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un turns 40

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter visited a newly-built poultry factory in Hwangju County of North Hwanghae Province ahead of his birthday (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has turned 40 with no announced public celebrations at home, after he entered the new year with artillery barrages into the sea as he vowed to expand his nuclear arsenal.

Since taking power in late 2011, Mr Kim, the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, is believed to have established an absolute leadership similar to his predecessors.