North Korea expected to showcase new weapons

The North Korean Communist Party is working hard to create a party atmosphere in the capital, Pyongyang, before Saturday, when the country’s Labor Party, the only one allowed, celebrates 75 years.

Propaganda cars with messages that encourage people are in place, writes South Korean news agency Yonhap. The streets and squares are orderly, representatives of parties from all over the country have arrived in the capital and so far there has been an art exhibition with paintings of three leaders.

All in an attempt to unite the North Korean people and flirt with their national sentiments at a time that is very difficult.

During the past year the country’s economy has been shaken by a three-headed sword. On the one hand, the country is burdened by tough international UN sanctions that have been in place since the nuclear disarmament talks with US President Donald Trump failed.

Furthermore, the covid crisis and the border closures that followed have further deepened economic difficulties. Trade with North Korea’s most important partner, China, has plummeted.

At the same time, floods and storms have swept across the country and worsened the harvest. The UN Special Rapporteur on North Korea, Tomás Ojea Quintana, appealed to the UN Security Council last summer for sanctions relief.

“A growing number of families eat only twice a day, or only eat corn, and some are starving,” he said.

Even North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has admitted in an unusual move that the country’s economic plan has failed.

Saturday when the Labor Party Therefore, celebrating 75 years, great efforts are expected to unite the population and ensure their loyalty. In addition to various cultural events and the presentation of a newly constructed hospital, a massive military parade is expected in Kim II Sung Square. Before Saturday, satellite images show thousands of soldiers practicing to form formations at an airport on the outskirts of the North Korean capital, writes the AP news agency.

And after long hidden in test shooting, it is speculated that North Korea will showcase new strategic weapons. Among other things, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook said, according to Yonhap, on Wednesday that this will happen. In such cases, it is not only a way of showing strength in front of the national audience, but it would also send a message to the United States and South Korea that the country continues to develop nuclear weapons, despite sanctions.

It is not yet clear whether leader Kim Jong-un will introduce himself or give a speech, as is the case in North Korea. The country tends to take a less provocative stance when international relations are less tense. When North Korea celebrated 70 years as a socialist country two years ago, for example, Kim Jong-un took a back seat. Then, a few months earlier, she had a first encounter with Donald Trump, who gave her hope.

But after more In two meetings, the talks with the United States broke down. The United States demanded clearer disarmament promises in exchange for easing sanctions than North Korea could accept.

Meanwhile, the development of nuclear weapons has continued and on Saturday there is speculation that the country will showcase new ballistic missiles and a submarine that can fire missiles.

At the same time, there is speculation about how the country has been affected by the pandemic. So far, North Korea has claimed that the country has not had a single covid-19 infection. Most external evaluators doubt this information. Both South Korea and the US defense force claim that the North Korean military is under orders to fire on smugglers and others who cross the border illegally to stop the virus. Last month, a South Korean man floating in the water toward North Korea was shot and then, according to South Korea, was burned. According to the South Korean Coast Guard, the man wanted to jump to North Korea. Since then, already cold relations with South Korea have cooled further. .