'Victory Day Propaganda' North Korea Surpasses Russia by 3 Times... What Is the Real Intention?

Three Times More Photos of Russian Delegation than Chinese Delegation
Reflecting Russia's Stance Against the West Due to Ukraine War
"Possible Russian Support for North Korea's Weapon Development... Strengthening Offensive Posture"

North Korea showcased the solidarity among North Korea, China, and Russia through the so-called 'Victory Day' 70th anniversary military parade, drawing attention to the emphasis placed on Russia over China. There is also speculation that Russia may provide technical support for North Korea's weapons development, including missiles, military reconnaissance satellites, and new unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to a report titled "Analysis of North Korea's 70th Anniversary Armistice Day Military Parade" by the Korea Institute for National Unification on the 31st, North Korea published 30 photos of the Chinese delegation in the April 27-28 edition of Rodong Sinmun, whereas photos related to the Russian delegation numbered 84, nearly three times as many. Outwardly, the event was framed as a 'North Korea-China-Russia solidarity,' but focusing solely on this Victory Day event, the close ties between North Korea and Russia stood out more than those with China.

North Korea Holds 'Commemorative Reporting Meeting' for the 70th Anniversary of Victory Day

The differences are even clearer in reports about the representatives of each country. Based on the April 29 issue of Tongil Sinbo, North Korea's external weekly, photos of Sergey Shoigu, Russia's Minister of Defense, were overwhelmingly more numerous than those of Li Hongzhong, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China. The largest photo on the front page showed Kim Jong Un, Minister Shoigu, and Vice Chairman Li seated together in the parade reviewing stand. However, at the bottom, there was a close-up photo featuring only Kim Jong Un and Minister Shoigu. Pages 6 and 7 were filled with photos related to the two's schedule, including an inspection of the arms exhibition.

Hong Min, head of the North Korea research division at the Korea Institute for National Unification, noted differences in content between the coverage of China and Russia. Reports related to Russia frequently used expressions that strongly emphasized the 'close ties' between the two countries, such as ▲agreement of views ▲strategic and tactical cooperation and coordination ▲common front ▲strategic unity, whereas reports about China contained only conventional expressions without any particularly meaningful emphasis.

This difference is interpreted as reflecting the respective positions of the countries rather than North Korea's intentions. Unlike Russia, which has confronted Western countries due to the Ukraine war, China must be more cautious in its relationships amid the US-China hegemonic competition. Notably, suspicions of arms transactions between North Korea and Russia have been consistently raised.

Moreover, China, which previously sent the Standing Committee Chairman as the head of its delegation to North Korea's military parades, sent a Vice Chairman this time, lowering the delegation's rank, which is seen as a reflection of this situation. Hong analyzed, "Because the rank of the Chinese delegation head is lower, aside from delivering a personal letter from President Xi Jinping to Kim Jong Un, the scope of official activities was inevitably limited."

Close North Korea-Russia Ties... "Russia May Support North Korea's Weapons Development"

North Korea Holds Night Military Parade for the 70th Anniversary of Victory Day

Although Kim Jong Un did not deliver a live speech to domestic and international audiences at this parade, threatening new weapons such as the strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft 'Saetbyeol-4' and the multipurpose attack unmanned aerial vehicle 'Saetbyeol-9' were unveiled. Notably, the underwater nuclear torpedo 'Haeil,' hypersonic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-17,' new solid-fuel-based ICBM 'Hwasong-18,' and tactical nuclear weapons were prominently displayed.

This signals a 'provocative meaning' forewarning military responses against the US and South Korea, indicating an intensified offensive posture by North Korea on the Korean Peninsula. Especially since North Korea flaunted its solidarity and military cooperation with Russia, attention is focused on whether Russia will provide technical support for North Korea's strategic weapons development, including military reconnaissance satellites, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), and new unmanned aerial vehicles.

Hong stated, "If technical support from China and Russia is added, the actual threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities could significantly increase," adding, "There is also a possibility that direct or indirect joint exercises and weapons operation cooperation between North Korea-Russia and North Korea-China-Russia could become visible." He further predicted, "Following this military parade, North Korea is likely to use the large-scale South Korea-US joint exercises in August and September as a pretext to launch aggressive provocations."

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