SEOUL: North Korea has conducted a military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of its ruling Workers’ Party with high-level foreign guests present.
State media confirmed the event took place at Kim Il Sung Square on October 10 with significant international participation.
The parade showcased some of the isolated nuclear-armed nation’s most powerful weapons systems.
Official reports specifically mentioned the display of an intercontinental ballistic missile among the military hardware.
This demonstration occurs as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gains confidence from the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Pyongyang has secured crucial Russian support after deploying thousands of troops to assist Moscow’s military operations.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is heading Beijing’s delegation to the week-long anniversary celebrations.
Russia’s Security Council deputy head Dmitry Medvedev, a key Putin ally, also participated in the Pyongyang events.
Last month featured Kim standing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a major military parade in Beijing.
The Pyongyang celebrations follow Seoul’s suggestion that North Korea-United States meetings might occur during the APEC summit in South Korea.
Former US President Donald Trump held three meetings with Kim during his first presidential term.
Trump famously claimed the two leaders had developed personal affection for each other during their diplomatic engagements.
Those negotiations ultimately failed to produce a lasting agreement regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Pyongyang has since repeatedly declared itself an irreversible nuclear weapons state.
KCNA released a joint Moscow-Pyongyang statement earlier this week containing significant political declarations.
Russia’s ruling party expressed firm support for North Korea’s measures to strengthen its defensive capabilities in the official communication. – AFP
