(CNN)In a carefully choreographed show of strength and celebration, North Korea went all out Saturday with a massive military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the ruling Worker's Party and showcasing the leadership of Kim Jong Un.
Hundreds of troops marched in elaborate formations across Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, which was festooned with national and party flags, footage from state broadcaster KCTV showed.
After inspecting the troops, Kim watched the extravaganza from a viewing platform, saluting the party flag as it was raised. Last year, Kim didn't show during a mysterious absence that lasted over a month.
Foreign dignitaries, media and tourists gathered in Pyongyang for the spectacle.
A Chinese delegation led by Liu Yunshan, who is one of the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, met Kim and delivered a message from President Xi Jinping, according to North Korean state media KCNA.
International observers will be scrutinizing the weekend's celebrations for details including who appears with Kim in public for clues into his inner circle, as well as what kind of military hardware Pyongyang parades and whether the leadership will conduct any sort of weapons testing.
The preparations for the Workers' Party of Korea anniversary appear to have begun as early as May, when satellite images captured approximately 45 tents assembled at a former Pyongyang airbase, according to an analysis posted on website 38 North.
By October, that area had swelled to about 800 tents, 700 trucks and 200 armored vehicles, with people appearing to move in formations "possibly in preparation for the parade," wrote Joseph Bermudez Jr, an analyst on North Korean affairs.
0 comments:
Post a Comment