North Korea held a midnight military parade in Pyongyang early Thursday to mark the 73rd anniversary of its founding, the state’s official Korean Central News Agency reported.
North Korea said it staged its first military-style parade since Joe Biden became president.
However, there were no indications that Kim spoke or if the event included displays of North Korea’s latest weaponry designed to strike the U.S. and its allies. The parade was in Pyongyang at midnight to celebrate the anniversary of the country’s foundation
According to Rodong Sinmun, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared on a platform in Kim Il Sung square and waved at the crowd, but there was no mention of him giving a speech.
North Korea experts noted that images of Kim appeared to show the North Korean leader has lost weight, adding support to a state media report from June that he had slimmed down.
Meanwhile, NK News, which specializes in covering North Korea, said there were no missiles or heavy weapons displayed. Photos of the parade posted on Twitter hours later showed images of marching soldiers, people in biohazard suits, and riders on horseback if unfolded in Pyongyang’s main Kim Il Sung Square.
During the parade, planes flew above Pyongyang firing flares, and paratroopers dropped from aircraft in the night sky, Rodong Sinmun said.
Down in the street, marching bands led a parade, which included laborers, research units, and an “emergency disease prevention unit,” it added. Images of the parade showed a large contingent of marchers dressed in orange hazmat-style suits and gas masks.
However, the parade appears to be on a smaller scale than ones held in January and last October, Yonhap News Agency cited a military official as saying.
