North Korea held a late-night military parade at 00:00 on the 9th, the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the regime.
Strategic weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) were not disclosed for this military parade, but instead of the regular army, troops and weapons belonging to the reserve army, the Workers’ and Peasant Red Guards and the police, were mobilized.
There were a lot of things that drew attention, such as the appearance of Kim Jong-un, who had lost weight, a tractor equipped with conventional weapons such as 122mm multiple rockets and anti-tank missiles, and a banquet held on the lawn of the central party headquarters. But why does North Korea hold a military parade in the middle of the night instead of in broad daylight?
North Korea has already held three military parades in less than a year. A military parade to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the party on October 10 last year and a military parade to commemorate the 8th Labor Party Congress in January this year were also held at night.
Two of them were held at 0 o’clock, and the parade commemorating the Labor Party Congress was held from 6 pm.
From the Kim Il-sung era through the Kim Jong-il era to the early days of Kim Jong-un’s reign, all military parades in North Korea were held during the day. From a common sense, such a large event is best viewed during the day. But why do you have to do it at night?
Kim Jong-un is the only person who will finally decide the time of the military parade in North Korea. If he decides to do it during the day or at night, it will be executed as it is.
It’s not likely that Kim Jong-un is holding a parade at night because he’s worried about the participants being exposed to the scorching sun. This is because the participants of the parade or group gymnastics had already suffered in the scorching sun for over a year for one event.
It’s not even for personal safety. It is the same whether it is captured by surveillance satellites, day or night anyway. It’s probably not for publicity either, as daytime is better for camera than nighttime.
The most likely reason is that Kim Jong-un is very fond of colorful fireworks. The biggest advantage of holding a parade at night is the fireworks display. It is difficult to realize the harmony of the colorful fireworks and lights that explode in the night sky during the day.
As soon as Kim Jong-un came to power, he became very obsessed with fireworks and lighting. Of course, as it appears regularly at artillery and missile launch sites, it can be seen that he likes to shoot things from a broader perspective. Kim Jong-un’s expression brightens whenever he sees an actual cannon or missile shooting scene.
Back in the day, on April 14, 2009, the first large-scale fireworks display was held in Pyongyang. This was the first birthday of Kim Il-sung since Kim Jong-un was appointed as heir.
The North Korean defectors who lived in Pyongyang at this time also recalled that it was a spectacular fireworks display that they saw for the first time. At this time, the venue was the 105th floor Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, which was not yet completed. It is also the tallest building in North Korea.
Countless cannonballs poured from the edge of the Ryugyong Hotel building, splendidly adorning the Pyongyang sky. In Korea, this type of fireworks display is held regularly at the Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, the tallest building in Korea.
On April 14, 2009, a spectacular fireworks show was held at the Ryugyong Hotel. Source: Dong-A Ilbo DBIt is very likely that Kim Jong-un came up with the idea for the Ryugyong Hotel fireworks display. Because during the Kim Jong-il era, there was no interest in such things, and there was no actual progress.
After Kim Jong-un came to power, a fireworks display was held one after another in Pyongyang. On New Year’s Day and every major holiday, colorful fireworks were fired over the Taedong River, and in fact, North Korea internally promotes major fireworks events as Kim Jong-un’s achievements.
It’s not just fireworks that Kim Jong-un likes. I also love the colorful lighting. In October of last year and April of this year, a night event called ‘Harmony of Lights’ was held for the first time with various fireworks and laser shows. Lights of various colors and fighters and drones equipped with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are also mobilized for the late-night parade. It seems to imitate various eve festivals in major developed countries, such as the US Independence Day celebration.
The opening of the ‘Harmony of Light-2020’ event held in Pyongyang last October. Dong-A Ilbo DBThere is one episode that comes to mind in this regard. In July of last year, Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, expressed her position on the 3rd North Korea-U.S. summit, which is constantly being raised by the US administration, and made a sudden remark at the end, which made me wonder. He said, “Finally, I would like to convey my impressions of the American Independence Day celebration that I saw through a TV report a few days ago. received,” he said. Isn’t that really a no-brainer?
The question of why the Independence Day celebration DVD was needed was resolved a few months later. In October, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party was held at night in North Korea, and there were many scenes that looked as if they were seen in a parade on the anniversary of the American independence day. In July last year, the United States held a large-scale fireworks show and an air show with a fighter squadron at the Independence Day event. The LED-equipped fighter jets, drones, and firecrackers from the aircraft must have impressed Kim Jong-un. All of this was implemented in the three night parades held in North Korea.
An outdoor banquet hall held outside the headquarters of the Workers’ Party of Korea on the 8th. A dinner was held at the round table with the orchestra playing. Source: Chosun Central NewsNot only that, the banquet held outside the Labor Party headquarters on the 8th was held in a round table set in a lawn garden with an old-fashioned building in the background, reminiscent of a banquet in the Rose Garden of the White House.
As an aside, Kim Jong-un must have been shocked by the splendid night view in Singapore, which he visited for the first North Korea-U.S. summit in June 2018. After that, the night view of Pyongyang suddenly began to become splendid. Even at night, the Ryugyong Hotel, whose interior has not been completed, emits more dazzling lights than any other splendid building in developed countries.
Going back to the main point, the organizers of the North Korean late-night military parade are Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong, and it seems that the event planning they took as an example is the American Independence Day event. It is also interesting that North Korea, which has survived anti-Americanism, is eagerly learning from the US.
On the morning of the 9th, a ball was held at Kim Il-sung Square with thousands of young people participating. Source: Chosun Central TVThanks to Kim Jong-un, who likes colorful fireworks and lights, Pyongyang citizens spend their nights at Kim Il-sung Square at dawn, when it is time to sleep. Thousands of young people were mobilized outside the celebration to create a wonderful backdrop for the fireworks exploding from the Taedong River, and they had to dance happily at Kim Il-sung Square at 2 or 3 in the morning.
Due to various sanctions against North Korea and the corona lockdown, the reality of North Korea is gradually falling into a ditch, and it is an ironic incongruity that the North Korean leader likes splendor more than anyone else.
Reporter Joo Seong-ha zsh75@donga.com
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