North Korea's "peerlessly brilliant" Kim turns 68

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea celebrated leader Kim Jong-il's birthday on Tuesday with synchronised swimmers glorifying the "kind-hearted father" of the reclusive nation while it made overtures for dialogue with the United States.

Kim, 68, is facing pressure to return to disarmament-for-aid nuclear talks due to U.N. sanctions and a botched currency move that nearly halted commerce late last year and worsened the destitute state's economic woes.