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People watch a military parade on the day of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling North Korean party on a television show.
Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
- North Korea ignored Covid-19 regulations to hold a massive military parade.
- The country launched ballistic missiles during the parade.
- Kim Jong Un apologized for the economic situation in the country during a speech.
A seemingly emotional Kim Jong Un apologized for failing to improve the lives of North Koreans in a speech at an unprecedented military parade before dawn on Saturday that showcased the country’s long-range ballistic missiles for the first time in two years.
The country marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers’ Party with a series of concerts and festivals, and the ceremony was seen throughout the region as an event where Kim could convey messages to audiences at home and abroad.
The parade featured North Korea’s ballistic missiles for the first time since Kim began meeting with international leaders, including US President Donald Trump, in 2018.
“We will continue to build our national defense power and self-defense war deterrent,” Kim said, but promised that the country’s military power will not be used preemptively. He made no direct mention of the United States or the now stalled denuclearization talks.
Kim blamed international sanctions, typhoons and the coronavirus for preventing him from fulfilling his promises of economic progress.
“I am ashamed that I could not properly reward them for their enormous confidence,” he said. “My efforts and devotion were not enough to lift our people out of difficult livelihoods.”
At times, looking excited, Kim thanked the military for working hard to respond to a series of damaging summer typhoons and for preventing a coronavirus outbreak.
Kim said he was grateful that not a single North Korean had tested positive for the disease, a claim that South Korea and the United States had previously disputed.
Officials in Seoul and Washington had said that North Korea could reveal new strategic weapons. Initial images from the parade showed conventional troops marching in formation and what appeared to be vehicle ballistic missiles.
The video showed Kim making an appearance when a clock struck midnight. Dressed in a gray suit and tie, he greeted the crowd and accepted children’s flowers while surrounded by military officers in Pyongyang’s recently renovated Kim Il Sung Square.
Kim said he hopes North and South Korea will unite again after the coronavirus crisis ends.
While attendees at other holiday events were shown wearing masks, no one in the parade appeared to be wearing masks.
Coronavirus
The event comes as the isolated country carries out strict measures against the coronavirus.
State media said the restrictions have caused delays in some of Kim’s key economic and construction projects, which are already hit by international sanctions.
“It’s an impressively large gathering during a global pandemic, suggesting that North Korean authorities are more concerned with political history and national morality than preventing a Covid-19 super-spreading event,” said Leif-Eric Easley, who teaches at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul. .
Hours earlier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korean and US intelligence authorities were closely monitoring developments.
It was the first time the parade had taken place before dawn.
South Korean officials said this week that Kim could use the event as a “low intensity” show of power ahead of the November 3 US presidential election, as denuclearization talks with Washington have stalled.
For weeks, commercial satellite images have shown thousands of North Korean soldiers practicing the march, and South Korean authorities have said that North Korea could use the parade to unveil a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), or a new launched ballistic missile. from a submarine.
Foreign diplomats in Pyongyang have often been invited to observe past celebrations. But the Russian embassy said on social media that this year all diplomatic missions were recommended “to refrain as much as possible” from traveling around the city, approaching the event site and taking photos and videos.
In a congratulatory message to Kim on the anniversary, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he intended to “defend, consolidate and develop” ties with North Korea, state media said on Saturday.
