North Korea has staged a massive military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice of the Korean War, displaying its latest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and drones in a show of its military might, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Friday.
With senior delegations from China and Russia present, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took to the reviewing stand to observe the military parade in Kim Il Sung Square late Thursday to mark Victory Day, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The Korean War, which started with an invasion by the North in 1950, ended with the armistice on July 27, 1953.
But the North claimed victory in the war, celebrating the date of the armistice signing as Victory Day, reports Yonhap News Agency.
In the latest parade, the second in about five months, the North showcased advanced drones and long-range missiles, such as liquid-propellant Hwasong-17 ICBMs and solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBMs.
North Korea had invited Chinese and Russian officials to its celebrations, marking its first known foreign visitors since Pyongyang’s tight border closure over the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
A Russian delegation led by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese group led by Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party, arrived in Pyongyang this week to take part in the commemorations.
The North’s leader gave Shoigu a tour of an arms exhibition on Wednesday, which showcased new advanced weapons, including ICBMs and an unmanned aerial vehicle that appears to be modeled after the US Global Hawk surveillance aircraft.
North Korea fired a Hwasong-18 ICBM earlier this month following its first test in April.
The solid-propellant ICBM type is among the high-tech weapons that the North has vowed to develop, which also includes a military spy satellite and a nuclear-powered submarine.
Under Kim’s rule, the North has staged 14 military parades, including this week’s event.
The last parade was held in February to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces and the North introduced the Hwasong-18 ICBM for the first time during the parade.
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