North Korea has published four major newspapers in color on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule, a move seen as strengthening the personality cult for the North's leader.

The North's Rodong Sinmun, the communist party's official newspaper, and three other papers have been published in full color since Liberation Day, which fell on Saturday, according to an analysis by Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday, based on footage aired by the North's Korean Central Television.

Previously, except for the Rodong Sinmun, the three newspapers, including the Minju Chosun, a newspaper published by the North's Cabinet, were issued in black and white.

North Korea, which does not recognize the freedom of the press, uses the media for its propaganda campaigns for its leader Kim Jong-un and the regime.

The North's newspapers are usually filled with photos of Kim and his predecessors -- Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il -- to justify the hereditary rule of Kim's family and strengthen the personality cult for the current leader.

Experts said that the North's move is seen as further building a strong cult of personality around Kim at a time when the North's young leader has been intensifying his reign of terror.

Also to mark Liberation Day, Pyongyang recently pushed back its standard time by half an hour, to dispel what it called the vestige of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. (Yonhap)