The celebrations didn’t quite reach that camp happy atmosphere that parades usually have, because North Korea shunned colourful floats in favour of armoured tanks, rocket launchers, drones and a variety of missiles mounted on trucks.
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At the height of the parade, a squadron of antique, Soviet-made biplanes flew over the parade ground in formation, outlining the numerals “70” in another nod to the anniversary.
Walking on the red carpet, Kim was dressed in black, before he saluted the honor guard, according to Fox News.
Visiting Chinese official Liu Yunshan stood clapping to Kim’s left, with senior North Korean officials on Kim’s right.
Kim and Liu later attended a youth parade held at the square together. He then walked up to a podium and waved to the troops taking part in the parade in Pyongyang’s Kim Illinois Sung Square.
Adding that classically North Korean touch to the entire event, Kim Jong-un delivered remarks, expressing his gratitude and admiration for the KPA and notifying the world that North Korea’s soldiers were “ready for any kind of war against the United States”. Furthermore, this was first time ever in the history of North Korea that such a huge parade was organized with a large number or tanks, helicopter, amour lorries and ballistic missiles.
China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported that Liu told Kim that China was willing to work with North Korea for a quick resumption of six-party nuclear talks.
As the country continues to celebrate 70 years of the ruling Workers’ Party, our government guides took us to, of all things, a dolphin show.
Lee Il-Woo, a defence analyst at Korea Defence Network, said the new version of the KN-08 – which has an estimated range of up to 12,000 kilometres (7,500 miles) – had a more rounded end than the version unveiled in 2012.
The inference was that China would again like to host talks on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions – last held almost seven years ago in Beijing – provided the North did not upset “stability” on the Korean peninsula by test-firing another long-range missile or conducting a fourth nuclear test. He warned that Kim was “on a quest for nuclear weapons” and that his belligerence “poses a very real threat” to the entire region, not jus the United States.
The celebrations shows Kim dynasty is firmly in control and its military a power to be reckoned with.
After the daytime military parade, there was a torch light display by hundreds of thousands of civilians in the center of the capital city, Pyongyang, that ended with fireworks and waves from the North Korean leader.
On Friday night, shortly after his arrival Liu presented a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping into Kim Jong-un’s hands, suggesting that, despite the optics of the past 16 or so months, China and North Korea may finally be ready to move toward a thaw of sorts.
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The return of China to North Korea’s sphere of influence after Pacific Command chief Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr., warned North Korea’s behavior had grown increasingly volatile in September follows more recent comments from the Admiral that North Korea is “the greatest threat that I face on a day-to-day basis”.
