North Korea appears to have kicked off a military parade in Pyongyang on Friday to mark the 80th founding anniversary of its ruling party, an informed source said.
The nighttime military parade marks the first such event in two years, following a paramilitary parade that took place in September 2023 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the regime's founding day.
Details of the event, including key attendees and weapons that were showcased, were not immediately known. It also remains to be seen whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will deliver a speech and his daughter, Ju-ae, will accompany him on the main podium.
However, the guest list has been expected to include high-level leaders from China and Russia, such as Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.
Other top leaders expected to attend the celebrations include Vietnam's top leader To Lam.
North Korea usually discloses such information in state media reports the following day.
The latest event comes just about a month after Kim stood shoulder to shoulder with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in a massive military parade held in Beijing in September, in an apparent display of their strengthening solidarity.
Multiple government sources here have said that North Korea is preparing for a large-scale military parade involving tens of thousands of people to mark the party anniversary that falls on Oct. 10. North Korea usually stages military parades on major anniversaries that end in zero or five.
Analysts have raised the view that Pyongyang may showcase the next-generation Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile under development during the military parade or test-launch it around the anniversary. (Yonhap)
