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The North Korean leader said on Saturday that he will continue to strengthen his Armed Forces and guaranteed, once again, that there was not a single case of COVID-19 infection in the country, during a military parade in which he showed a new missile.
Kim Jong-un spoke at the parade that took place this Saturday in the country, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party.
A military parade in Pyongyang, during which the North Korean military displayed a new ICBM with a wing span greater than the Hwasong-15, the longest-range missile tested by the regime to date.
This new missile, the name of which is unknown, has not yet been tested by Pyongyang.
North Korea has not launched an ICBM experimentally since November 2017, when it tested the Hwasong-15, coinciding with the time when an attempt was made to negotiate a denuclearization agreement with the United States through diplomatic channels. , although talks with Washington in this area have stalled.
“We will continue to strengthen our military for self-defense and deterrence,” the North Korean president said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
State television KCTV showed squads of armed soldiers and military vehicles lined the streets of Pyongyang ready to march towards Kim Il Sung Square, named after the founder of the regime.
None of the participants and no one in the audience wore masks, but there were fewer people than usual in the square.
Kim Jong-un said that there was not “a single person” infected by the new coronavirus in his country, while the pandemic affects the entire world.
The North Korean leader also wished Covid-19 “good health to all the world’s people who are fighting evils” at a time when US President Donald Trump tested positive and was recently hospitalized.
According to a South Korean general, the military parade took place early Saturday morning and was “closely followed” by South Korean and US intelligence services.
The event is presented in a heavy internal scenario, due to the impact of the pandemic and a series of typhoons that hit the country hard, and at a time when it is under severe sanctions.
Contrary to what happened in previous parades, this year no foreign media were invited. Additionally, many embassies are closed due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic, resulting in a limited number of outside observers.
In late December, the North Korean leader had threatened to unveil a “new strategic weapon,” but some experts believed that Pyongyang had no intention of enraging the White House ahead of the US presidential elections.
The event, which involves thousands of people, could be very conducive to the spread of the coronavirus, unless “extreme precautions” are taken, said Harry Kazianis of the Center of National Interest, a research center.
However, such measures are “highly unlikely,” he continues: “Masks and missiles don’t mix,” he said.
South Korea had said on Saturday morning that North Korea would hold a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party.
“Evidence was found that North Korea held a military parade in Kim Il-Sung Square [em Pyongyang] during the first hours [de sábado], mobilizing a large number of teams and people, “South Korean staff said in a statement.
The same statement, quoted by AFP, said that the secret services of South Korea and the United States “are closely following the event.”
The international community has imposed sanctions on North Korea after its nuclear missile program.
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