“North Korea probably held a military night parade in honor of the country’s 73rd anniversary,” the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing military sources.
“There are signs that the North has held a military parade in northern Pyongyang. The South Korean military is analyzing these signals, “Yonhap wrote.
If these reports are confirmed, it will be the first parade in North Korea since January this year, when the congress of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party will be held for the first time in almost five years.
For North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, military parades have almost always been an opportunity to introduce a new type of weapon, including ballistic intercontinental missiles. This time, according to military sources, the parade could be a response to the joint military exercises of South Korea and the United States, which were perceived in Pyongyang as a threat to the country’s security.
N. Korea appears to have staged military parade early Thursday: source https://t.co/sq80x4Tepp
— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) September 8, 2021
North Korea has introduced new missiles
Last week, NK News and 38 North, an organization that tracks events in North Korea, reported that satellite images show North Korean soldiers preparing for a possible military parade.
A parade appears to have kicked off at midnight in Pyongyang.
Sources told NK News that military jets could be heard flying over the city with citizens gathering near Kim Il Sung Square.https://t.co/1lUz8NNkPn
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) September 8, 2021
During a parade last October, North Korea unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile. This was Pyongyang’s first demonstration of a new long-range weapon in two years. The last parade took place in January this year.