Pyongyang [North Korea], July 29 : North Korea held a huge military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, said its state media, displaying the country’s latest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and drones as a display of its military strength.
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, took the reviewing stand to observe the military parade in Pyongyang late on Thursday to commemorate Victory Day while senior representatives from China and Russia were also present, Yonhap reported citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Yonhap News Agency is a South Korean news agency based in Seoul.
With their presence at the parade, the North appears to have wanted to express its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow, who supported Pyongyang throughout the Cold War fight, at a time when Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo are strengthening their three-way security cooperation.
Kim did not give the highly anticipated speech at the event.
The Korean War, which began with an invasion by the North Korea in 1950, concluded with the armistice on July 27, 1953. However, the North declared the war over and designated the day of the armistice signing as Victory Day.
The recalcitrant regime has displayed new cutting-edge weapons during the parades to show off its military might. The latest parade, which was held amid higher tensions brought on by Pyongyang's ongoing missile testing, was the second in around five months.
The North displayed new, cutting-edge long-range missiles, including the intercontinental ballistic missiles Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18, at the parade. However, it did not introduce any new types of ICBM.
Later in the day, footage released by the North's Korean Central Television also showed the "Haeil," the North's alleged first-ever autonomous underwater vehicle with nuclear weapons, as well as unmanned spy aircraft and strike drones.
“The strategic reconnaissance drones and multi-purpose attack drones that were newly developed and produced... made circular flights in the sky above the square for the military parade," Yonhap reported quoting KCNA.
As "the most powerful core mainstay means" of its strategic force to "fully and overwhelmingly" deter nuclear threats from its enemies, the North also referred to the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBMs.
North Korea inviting Chinese and Russian officials to its parade, marks its first known foreign visits since Pyongyang’s strict border closure induced by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence minister, and Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party's, joined the leader of the North in the VIP stand to observe the parade. Shoigu was called on before Li, as the important guests were introduced during the main ceremony.
Kim was seen smiling and talking with Shoigu and Li, who were standing to his right and left, respectively.
The pursuit by the North of nuclear and ballistic missiles that are prohibited by numerous Security Council resolutions is signalled by such imagery by China and Russia, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), note observers.
During their discussions this week, Kim and Shoigu specifically pledged to boost defence cooperation.
The meeting has ignited speculations that the two sides may have discussed Pyongyang's arsenal for use in Moscow's conflict with Ukraine during their meeting.
In a speech at the parade, North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam said the United States would confront a "unimaginable and unforeseen crisis" if it tried to launch a nuclear attack against the North, as per Yonhap.
Kang used the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and declared that, "the US imperialists have no room of choice of survival in case they used nuclear weapons against the DPRK."
Kim could be seen fighting back tears as he sang along to the national anthem before the military march began in the official TV footage from the North.
Additionally, it was stated that Pyongyang had shown its support for Beijing and Moscow in light of improved trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo.
North Korea has recently increased the frequency of its weapons tests, as Seoul and Washington intensify their efforts to support America's commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally.
Under Kim's rule, the North has staged 14 military parades, including the one this week. The nation initially unveiled the Hwasong-18 ICBM during the last parade, which was conducted in February to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of its military forces, Yonhap reported.
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