N. Korea stages military parade to mark war anniversary

North Korea’s weapons exhibition shown in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on Thursday. (KCNA-Yonhap)

North Korea held a military parade Thursday night, a widely expected event to mark what it calls “Victory Day” against the US-led United Nations forces in the 1950-53 Korean War, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

It was not immediately clear whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the parade, a venue to showcase its latest weapons and rally North Koreans. Delegations from China and Russia, who arrived in Pyongyang the previous day for the July 27 celebrations, are believed to have taken part in the event.

A Chinese delegation led by Li Hongzhong, who sits on the Communist Party of China’s 24-member Politburo, and a Russian delegation headed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu mark the first foreign visits to the country since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020. The North had kept its borders sealed. Kim led a tour of a weapons exhibition showcasing nuclear weapons for Shoigu.

The celebrations in the North come amid growing tension on the peninsula, with South Korea and the US reaffirming their strong alliance to rein in Pyongyang’s aggression while the North has been doubling down on missile tests.

By Choi Si-young(siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)