N. Korean leader attends nighttime military parade

North Korea 10:41 February 09, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a nighttime military parade in Pyongyang earlier this week to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces, photos carried by state media showed Thursday.

Flanked by top military and party officials, Kim took to the reviewing stand to watch the military parade held in Kim Il Sung Square on Wednesday to mark the Korean People's Army (KPA) anniversary, according to photos released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Clad in a long black coat and wearing a felt hat, Kim smiled and waved to the crowd. His outfit was reminiscent of those of the country's late founder, Kim Il-sung.

The KCNA has not released any report on the details of the military parade, including whether Kim delivered a speech.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 9, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending a nighttime parade in Pyongyang the previous day to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

According to satellite images from the U.S.-based space technology firm Maxar Technologies, the North appears to have paraded a range of new ballistic missiles, including its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on a mobile launcher.

Though many of the missiles remain unidentified, some observers raised the possibility that the list of the missiles on display might include a solid-propellant one that the North has recently been working on.

The North is expected to air recorded footage of the military parade later in the day.

Since Kim took power following his father's death in late 2011, his regime has staged 13 military parades, including the latest one.