SEOUL: North Korea showcased its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade attended by senior officials from Russia and China.
Pyongyang’s state media reported the event marking 80 years under the ruling Workers’ Party featured the country’s advanced weapons systems.
Leader Kim Jong Un has gained confidence from the Ukraine conflict by securing crucial Russian support after deploying thousands of North Korean troops.
Russian Security Council deputy head Dmitry Medvedev joined Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Vietnam’s leader To Lam near Kim during Friday’s parade.
The official Korean Central News Agency released images showing the leaders seated together at the late-night spectacle.
KCNA described the new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile as North Korea’s most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system.
Thousands of people in traditional dress filled Pyongyang’s streets waving flags and cheering as military hardware rolled past.
The parade displayed long-range strategic cruise missiles alongside drone launch vehicles and various missile systems.
Kim praised his invincible army for strengthening the party’s efforts to overcome difficulties and achieve a brighter future.
He acknowledged North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine for international justice.
Kim stated these forces demonstrated ideological and spiritual perfection through their heroic fighting spirit and victories.
Seoul authorities reported approximately 600 North Korean soldiers have died with thousands more wounded while supporting Russia.
KCNA declared the parade showcased North Korea’s inexhaustible defense technology potential and astonishing development pace.
The celebrations followed Seoul’s suggestion that North Korea-United States meetings might occur during the APEC summit.
Former US President Donald Trump held three meetings with Kim during his first term but failed to secure nuclear agreements.
Pyongyang has since repeatedly declared itself an irreversible nuclear weapons state.
Kim recently appeared with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Beijing military parade.
KCNA published a joint Moscow-Pyongyang statement expressing firm Russian support for North Korea’s defense enhancement measures.
Harvard University Asia Center scholar Seong-Hyon Lee described the parade as a deliberate structural shift in regional geopolitics.
He warned that Seoul’s strengthened Washington alliance would face a consolidated trilateral bloc on its doorstep. – AFP
