North Korean state media showed on Friday a military parade in the capital where Kim Jong Un displayed his latest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones alongside officials from China and Russia.
The parade in Pyongyang marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, which is celebrated as “Victory Day” in North Korea.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was the first top military official from Moscow to visit since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese delegation has been the first to attend.
In previous years, Beijing and Moscow attempted to distance themselves from the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles by North Korea. Consequently, their presence at events involving the North’s nuclear-capable missiles was a departure from this policy.
North Korean state media aired photos and videos depicting Kim, Shoigu, and Li Hongzhong, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, saluting as North Korean troops marched and weapons rolled past.
State-run KCNA reported that the parade featured the newest Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as new attack and spy drones.
