Kim Jong Un (center, back) attends the grand military parade in Pyongyang celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army on Thursday. KCNA/REUTERS
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a grand military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of his country’s military, the official KCNA news agency reported on Thursday. The event, meant to showcase the country’s most advanced arsenal and weaponry, took place in the center of the capital Pyongyang on Wednesday night at Kim Il-sung Square, North Korea’s founder and grand- father of Kim Jong-un.
Dressed in a black coat and fedora, an outfit his grandfather used to wear, Kim Jong-un was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Ju Ae, according to photos from KCNA. Other images showed him, flanked by his generals, walking on a red carpet, inspecting and saluting the ranks of soldiers armed with bayonets, while missiles and troops marched past.
TO HAVE ALSO — North Korea to step up military exercises for ‘war readiness’
“Nuclear bomb for nuclear bomb”
Equipped with nuclear weapons, North Korea organizes this type of parade to mark important dates, such as public holidays. For observers, it is an opportunity to see at what stage of military progress is this reclusive country, targeted by sanctions prohibiting the development of its ballistic and nuclear programs. A “tactical nuclear operation unit” composed of soldiers and missiles with “powerful deterrence and counter-attack capabilities” was also presented, according to KCNA.
Among the missiles on display was the latest generation of North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the source said. This parade highlighted North Korea’s ability to deal with its enemies, “nuclear bomb for nuclear bomb, confrontation for confrontation!”added the official agency.
Be ready in case of war
At 10:05 p.m. (13:05 GMT) on Wednesday evening, images from commercial satellites from Maxar Technologies showed a large North Korean flag unfurled and thousands of people gathered in Kim Il-sung Square. The event is Pyongyang’s fourth night parade in recent years and comes after the regime said it wants to expand and step up its military maneuvers to ensure it is ready in case of war.
In 2022, North Korea conducted a record number of weapons tests, including the first launch of its most developed intercontinental ballistic missile. Kim Jong-un recently called on his country to increase “exponential” its military arsenal with the massive production of tactical nuclear weapons and the development of new nuclear response missiles.
TO HAVE ALSO – North Korea: l‘commitment to denuclearize the peninsula is “unshakable”, assures the United States in Seoul