N.K. holds fireworks display, marches to celebrate party anniversary following large military parade

All News 11:17 October 11, 2020

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea commemorated the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party with a fireworks display, a car parade and other celebratory events, state media said Sunday, after it held a rare nighttime military parade Saturday.

North Korea showed off a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other weapons during a massive military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to continue to strengthen the country's self-defensive "war deterrent" at a speech he made at midnight Friday before the military parade started.

"The torchlight procession of the young vanguard for celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea took place at Kim Il-sung Square on Saturday evening," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Sunday.

The youth shouted the slogan "Long Live Peerless Patriot General Kim Jong-un!" as they arranged themselves to spell the phrases "Great Party" and "Strongest Military Power," the KCNA said.

They also formed other words stressing self-reliance and made "loud shouts" at the square "to express the immense trust and reverence" for the party, it added.

The North appears to have highlighted the words "self-reliance" and "devoted service" in an apparent effort to rally internal unity and public support amid multiple challenges from its ongoing campaign against the coronavirus, devastation caused by recent typhoons and economic woes from global sanctions.

"The square was filled with great fervor and joy of the youth who are defending the 75th anniversary of the founding anniversary of the party and celebrating the glorious October holidays as they make a frontal breakthrough to tackle increasing pressure from our enemies and global catastrophes with the spirit of the youth of Mount Paektu," the KCNA said.

In Pyongyang, the anniversary was also celebrated with a fireworks display, a march of people from other parts of the country and a car parade, according to the report.