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North Korean state media reported on Thursday that North Korea held a night parade in the capital to celebrate its 73rd anniversary and released photos of marching lines of military personnel wearing orange protective suits but not carrying ballistic missiles.
North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un watched from the balcony the paramilitary and public security forces of the country’s largest civil defense force, the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Guards, and the paramilitary and public security forces began marching in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square at midnight (15:00). On Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency said .
The newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, “Labor Sinmun” published photos of people wearing orange protective suits and medical masks. This is obviously a symbol of efforts to fight the coronavirus, while the army is marching side by side with rifles.
Some conventional weapons were also exhibited, including multiple rocket launchers and tractors carrying anti-tank missiles.
The report did not see or mention ballistic missiles, and Kim Jong-un did not make a speech. This is different from the unprecedented intercontinental ballistic missiles that boasted about the country’s nuclear capabilities in October last year and demonstrated at a military parade before dawn.
The KCNA said: “The emergency epidemic prevention column and the Ministry of Health column are full of patriotic enthusiasm, show the world the advantages of the socialist system, and resolutely protect the country and people from the impact of the world epidemic.”
North Korea has not confirmed any cases of COVID-19, but shortly after the first case appeared in neighboring China in early 2020, it closed its borders and adopted strict precautions, treating the pandemic as a matter of national survival.
This military parade is the first time since 2013 to feature 5.7 million red guards of workers and peasants who were launched as a reserve force after the withdrawal of the Chinese army fighting for North Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of Korean Studies in Seoul, said that the perception that the lack of strategic weapons and the focus on public security forces show that Kim Jong-un is concerned about domestic issues, such as COVID-19 and the economy.
“The parade seems to be strictly designed as a domestic festival aimed at promoting the national unity and unity of the regime,” Yang said.
“There were no nuclear weapons at the time, and Kim Jong-un did not send any messages when he was present. This may be to keep the event low and leave room for maneuver for future talks with the United States and South Korea.”
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