North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a grand military parade to showcase the country’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), watched by international dignitaries.
The parade on Friday evening commemorated the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea, following Thursday’s celebrations. Among the foreign guests in Pyongyang were Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnamese Communist Party leader To Lam.
During the parade, North Korea displayed its advanced Hwasong-20 ICBM, described as the country’s “most powerful strategic nuclear weapons system.”
“The Hwasong-20 represents, for now, the pinnacle of North Korea’s ambitions for long-range nuclear delivery capability. We should expect to see the system tested before the end of this year. It is likely designed for the deployment of multiple nuclear warheads, which would increase pressure on existing U.S. missile defense systems and enhance what Kim sees as the necessary deterrent effect against Washington,” said Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in the U.S.
In his speech during the parade, Kim offered “warm encouragement” to North Korean troops serving abroad, particularly those involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, noting their heroism extends beyond national defense to the “frontlines of socialist construction.”
“Our army must continue to grow into an invincible entity that destroys all threats,” Kim Jong Un declared.
Kim also met with Medvedev on Friday, who emphasized that North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine demonstrate trust between their nations. Kim expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with Russia and engage in various exchanges to achieve shared objectives, according to KCNA.
