North Korea, Kim: «Covid? It does not exist with us. And parade a new ICBM

The calming signs in the gaze

Analysts noted that the respected marshal appeared in Western-style gray suit, matching tie and white shirt: the choice of a business suit was perhaps designed to project a renewed will to negotiate, after the dialogue has been stalled for months and most of the signals from Pyongyang have been threatening.

But none of Kim Jong-un’s theatrical performances are unambiguous and clear. Kim is a great actor who follows complex plots and loves to play at least two roles in comedy: sometimes the statesman who cares about economic development and peaceful international relations; sometimes the ruthless leader who has a powerful arsenal at his disposal.

Around the dictator in gray today his generals lined up, uniformed and with their chests loaded with decorations. No one wore a mask, neither in the rostrum of the political leadership nor in the stands below. Kim assures that there is “zero contagion” in his hermit kingdom and no one is able to confirm or deny it, also because in recent months numerous diplomats and personnel from humanitarian agencies have withdrawn from Pyongyang.

The ballistic super missile

Immediately after the speech, the military parade to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the regime began, an event prepared for months, also with major expansion works in Kim Il Sung Square where it took place.

For hours, the departments in the goose-step, tanks and rocket launchers paraded, squadrons of planes in the sky. But it was finally that analysts noticed what a new ICBM looks like: a device so large that it was brought to the plaza by an 11-axle vehicle.

It was since 2018 that the North Koreans did not exhibit missiles with intercontinental range, perhaps capable of threatening even the cities of the United States. It is impossible to assess whether the parade of monstrous beasts in Pyongyang Square is actually operational, but experts note that in the past, after exposure on the ground the flight arrived. At the end of 2019, after the freezing of the dialogue with Donald Trump, Marshal Kim boasted of having “a new strategic weapon” that the world would soon know.

The largest parade in North Korean history

Today’s was probably there largest parade in North Korean history. For months, satellites aimed at Pyongyang had been watching the preparations. By studying the trial images, the analysts predicted a record number of participants and estimated that they had practiced no less than 32,000 soldiers and thousands of other civilians, so much so that the events area has been expanded with extensive renovations.

Last surprise at the time of the event: Kim spoke at midnight and departments began to parade in the middle of the night. Pyongyang television broadcast the images only in the late morning, having had plenty of time to select the scenes to show people and the world.