Unification ministry closely watching N. Korea for signs of military parade preparation

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry said Friday it will closely watch North Korea for any signs they are preparing a military parade to celebrate major national anniversaries after a large number of troops were reportedly detected in Pyongyang.

Earlier, 38 North, a U.S. website monitoring the North, said troop formations were observed at an airfield in Pyongyang. Sources in Seoul also said about 10,000 troops have been observed in Pyongyang in a sign that North Korea is preparing a military parade ahead of its state and ruling party founding anniversaries on Sept. 9 and Oct. 10, respectively.

"The unification ministry will closely watch for any signs, without prematurely determining, of the possibility of the North holding a military parade," Cha Deok-cheol, deputy spokesperson of the unification ministry, told a regular press briefing.

North Korea recently warned of a "serious security crisis" in protest over the combined military exercise staged last month by South Korea and the United States.

Last October, North held a massive military parade to mark the 75th party founding anniversary and unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), and several other advanced military assets.

The North's latest military parade was held in January right after its rare party congress. During the event, leader Kim Jong-un pledged to bolster the country's nuclear arsenal.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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