Big military parade in Pyongyang
North Korea is celebrating its 75th birthday
September 9, 2023, 9:13 a.m
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North Korea is 75 years old. There will be a big celebration in the capital Pyongyang – as always, accompanied by many soldiers and military equipment. While the country is largely isolated internationally, two states did not miss the opportunity to send congratulations.
North Korea marked the 75th anniversary of its founding with a nighttime parade of paramilitary groups, a torchlight gala and fireworks. Leader Kim Jong-un watched the parade on the night from Friday to Saturday at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, the state-controlled media reported. Kim received greetings from the presidents of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, among others, on the anniversary, which falls this Saturday.
The strictly isolated and authoritarian country ruled by Kim often uses important holidays or commemorations to hold military parades to demonstrate strength. This time the focus was on the worker-peasant Red Guards – a kind of civil defense force. On Friday evening, groups of youth with torches reportedly paraded in Kim Il Sung Square. The parade also featured columns of motorcycles and anti-tank missile launchers pulled by tractors, it said.
The parade was also attended by a Chinese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Liu Guozhong. China’s state and party leader Xi Jinping praised North Korea’s achievements in building socialism. “Under the new circumstances, China is willing to work with North Korea to strengthen strategic communications, deepen pragmatic cooperation and advance China-North Korea relations,” said the greeting message carried by China’s state news agency Xinhua.
In his letter to Kim, Putin also emphasized that both countries would continue to expand their relations, according to North Korean media reports. Most recently, US media reported, citing US officials, that Kim was planning a trip to Russia to negotiate arms deliveries with Putin.