North Korea likely to remain the "Hermit Kingdom"

(CBS News) They call him the "eternal president," and North Korea celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth this weekend.

To honor Kim Il-Sung, who died 18 years ago, the government paraded its military might in Pyongyang, but the highlight was a rare speech by the new leader.

CBS News correspondent Barry Peterson reports that the parade marking the 100th birthday of communist North Korea's founder Kim Il-Sung featured a first look at what may be a new short-range missile, larger than anything North Korea has shown off before.

It was also the first time the world heard the voice of the North's third-generation dictator.

"Let us move on to final victory" Kim Jong-Un said.

Kim Jong-Un's words and his surprisingly easy-going banter with his generals suggests he has the backing he needs from the military to stay in power. A propaganda machine that rarely rests also helps Kim look like a leader in charge.

Still, little is really known about him, not even his exact age, just that he is in his late 20s.

His pudgy build proves that he eats well and often in a malnourished country with so much stunted growth that the height requirement for the military was recently lowered to a mere 4-feet-9 inches.

The North is showing no interest in dialing back constant confrontations with the west, including satellite images of what experts believe are preparations for a third test of a nuclear weapon.

The only country that might temper the North's aggressiveness is China, but China has little interest in anything that would damage a fellow communist country.

That's because if communist party rule fails in North Korea, a lot of people in China might start wondering if the same thing could happen here.

So China did nothing to stop last week's failed launch of a rocket that many see a test for a ballistic missile that can hit the U.S.

That kind of defiant act keeps North Korea so isolated they call it the Hermit Kingdom. Kim, only four months into his rule, looks like he will keep it that way.

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