North Korea Begins 'Victory Day Military Parade'... What Message Will Kim Jong-un Deliver?

Pre-Dinner Event Starts at 8 PM... Focus on New Strategic Weapons
Summoning Chinese and Russian Delegations... Likely to Showcase 'Nuclear Force'

North Korea is reported to have begun a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, which it calls 'Victory Day.' As North Korea is expected to showcase a large number of lethal weapons in front of Chinese and Russian delegations, attention is focused on what message Kim Jong-un might deliver.

On the 27th, North Korea reportedly started pre-event activities around 8 p.m. and was conducting the main military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang around 9:30 p.m.

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According to the Ministry of Unification and others, North Korea held most of its military parades in the morning until the 70th anniversary of the regime’s founding in September 2018, but since the 75th anniversary of the Workers' Party founding in October 2020, it has held four consecutive parades in the evening or at night. This is interpreted as an effort to reduce the risk of exposing North Korea’s underdeveloped conditions at night and to create dramatic effects using lighting.

It is estimated that Chinese and Russian delegations attended this parade. China sent a delegation led by Li Hongzhong, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, who is equivalent to the Deputy Speaker of our National Assembly, while Russia dispatched a delegation led by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.

With attention focused on whether Kim Jong-un will deliver a speech at the parade, there is speculation that the speech will likely declare a commitment to strengthening defense capabilities and emphasize North Korea-China-Russia cooperation in opposition to the trilateral alliance of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

There is also interest in whether new strategic weapons will be unveiled at the parade. North Korea held the 'Armed Equipment Exhibition-2023' the day before and revealed a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle similar to the U.S. high-altitude reconnaissance drone RQ-4 Global Hawk and the MQ-9 Reaper attack drone. In particular, Korean Central TV released footage showing the so-called 'North Korean version of the Reaper' firing a 'North Korean version of the Hellfire anti-tank missile.' Therefore, it is anticipated that a large number of new strategic weapons, including these new unmanned aerial vehicles, may appear at this parade.

Regarding missile systems, the latest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-18,' which appeared at the 75th anniversary military parade in February, is unlikely to be supplemented by new ballistic missiles at this event. However, even if no new missiles are unveiled, North Korea is expected to showcase a large number of strategic weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads, demonstrating its nuclear force in front of the Chinese and Russian delegations. There is also speculation about the possible appearance of the strategic cruise missile 'Hwasal-1' and the nuclear torpedo 'Haeil,' which have not yet been publicly revealed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.