North Korea held a military parade to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the regime on the 9th. However, it seems that the scale has been greatly reduced, with no speech by Chairman Kim Jong-un and general secretary of the Workers’ Party, and the latest weapons were not disclosed.
North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on the same day, “The military parade for civilians and security forces to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the Republic was held in a grand way at Kim Il-sung Square in the capital Pyongyang. came,” he reported.
It is the third time North Korea has held a late-night military parade after the founding of the party in October last year and the 8th party congress in January of this year, but this time the atmosphere was different in many ways. Chairman Kim appeared at the military parade, but did not give a speech. Instead, Party Secretary Ri Il-hwan stepped up to the podium and said, “Today’s solemn military parade is the most sublime tribute that the sons and daughters of the Republic give to their beloved motherland.” “From the principle of self-reliance, we will solve everything by our own strength and our own way, and we will continue to improve the national defense capabilities,” he said.
Chairman Kim did not speak at the military parade commemorating the party congress in January. During the military parade in October of last year, he directly sent a message to South Korea, mentioning “beloved southern compatriots”. North Koreans were also seen bringing tears to their eyes, saying, “I’m sorry and thank you.”
The participating units were also significantly lowered by the Labor and Peasant Red Guards (reserve army) and the Social Security Army (police) as the main pillars, and the inspection was also conducted by Cho Yong-won, the party’s organizing secretary. The Red Youth Guard, a student military organization, also showed up, only to check the ‘irregular army’ in charge of people’s livelihoods. There is no mention of the latest strategic weapons targeting the ROK and the US, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), so it is highly likely that they did not appear at the parade. Instead, only mechanized columns of the Labor Guards equipped with motorcycles and tractors stood out.
An official from the Ministry of Unification explained, “North Korea seems to be using the military parade as a window to solidify the regime and deliver messages to the outside world.”
Kim Min-soon reporter soon@hankookilbo.com
Issues you may be interested in
.
