Kim and Shoigu inspect military parade
Demonstration of power in Pyongyang at night: North Korea presented missiles and drones to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice in the Korean War.
In addition to ruler Kim, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu watched the parade.
North Korea may have displayed newly developed weapons systems in the presence of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a night military parade. On the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the regime of ruler Kim Jong Un presented intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which can be equipped with nuclear warheads, as well as new combat and reconnaissance drones, as reported by state media.
“Strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and multi-purpose attack drones” flew over Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square, the state news agency KCNA reported. The “excitement and joy of the audience” was “further increased” when the latest solid fuel rocket tested in April and July was shown. Shoigu watched the parade standing next to Kim from a grandstand, it said.
These reports cannot be independently confirmed. North Korea is largely isolated internationally because of its nuclear missile program, but is also isolating itself.
The fact that a high-ranking Russian delegation led by Shoigu took part in the parade in central Pyongyang has raised global concerns about increased military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. In addition to Shoigu, Li Hongzhong, a member of the Chinese Politburo, also watched the military parade, according to North Korean state media.
North Korea and Russia announced on Wednesday that they want to work more closely together on defense issues.
Foreign guests for the first time since Corona
For North Korea, it is the first time since the end of the corona pandemic that foreign delegations have visited the country. The government of ruler Kim is trying to deepen its relations with China and Russia and to find common ground with its neighbors for rivalry with the West and especially the USA.
The United States has accused North Korea of supplying arms to Russia in its war against Ukraine. Among other things, in November 2022 a delivery of infantry rockets and aircraft went to the Russian Wagner mercenaries who fought alongside the regular army. North Korea and Russia have denied the allegation.
North Korea has been ruled by the Kim dynasty since the 1950s. July 27, which marks the end of the Korean War, is commemorated as Victory Day in Pyongyang. The war ended with an armistice. Since then, a demilitarized zone near the 38th parallel has divided Korea into two states. Between 2 and 4 million Koreans are said to have been killed in the 1950-1953 war.
