North Korea’s Kim Jong-un attends parade honouring state-founding grandfather
- Thousands of people marched in choreographed display of loyalty to the Kim family at event celebrating the late Kim Il-sung, born in April 1912
- Appears no weaponry on show but recent satellite images indicate military parade preparations, perhaps for April 25, anniversary of army starting
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a massive civilian parade in the capital, Pyongyang, celebrating a milestone birth anniversary of his state-founding grandfather in which thousands marched in a choreographed display of loyalty to the Kim family, state media said on Saturday.
The reports did not mention any speech or comments made by Kim during Friday’s event and it appeared the country passed its biggest holiday without showcasing its military hardware, amid heightened tensions over its nuclear programme.
Commercial satellite images in recent weeks have indicated preparations for a large military parade in Pyongyang, which could take place on the April 25 founding anniversary of North Korea’s army and display the most advanced weapons in Kim’s nuclear arsenal, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles.
There are also expectations that Pyongyang will further escalate its weapons testing in the coming weeks or months, possibly including a resumption of nuclear explosive tests or test-flying missiles over Japan, as it attempts to force a response from the Biden administration while it is preoccupied with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rivalry with China.
State media images showed Kim waving from a balcony looking over Kim Il-sung Square, which is named after his grandfather, as huge columns of people carrying red plastic flowers and floats with political slogans marched below.
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Young North Koreans dance to commemorate leader Kim Jong-un’s decade in power
Ri Il Hwan, a member of the ruling Workers’ Party Politburo, issued a call for loyalty, saying in a speech that North Koreans will “always emerge victorious” under Kim’s guidance. It appeared Kim did not deliver a speech and state media did not mention any comments regarding the United States or rival South Korea.
The parade came hours before thousands of young people performed a mass dance in the square as fireworks launched from a nearby riverbank lit up the night sky.