Kim Jong-un presides anniversary parade with Russian, Chinese officials

Seoul, Jul 28 (EFE).- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a large military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire, accompanied by Russian and Chinese government representatives.

Kim, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Politburo member Li Hongzhong reviewed the troops before the parade began Thursday night in Pyongyang’s central Kim Il-sung Square, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported Friday.

Shoigu and Li each sat next to the North Korean marshal in the authorities’ rostrum in front of the Great Hall of People’s Studies to watch the parade.

During the parade, the regime exhibited its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Hwasong-17 and the even more sophisticated Hwasong-18, which uses solid fuel and was tested for the second time on July 12 near Pyongyang.

There was also a public demonstration for the first time with new large drones that the North Korean military first secretly tested in June in the north-west of the country.

Pyongyang marks the anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire that ended the Korean War on July 27, 1953, as “Victory Day,” as the regime’s narrative claims that the United States and its allies were forced to plead for an armistice.

North Korean authorities used the anniversary to show their proximity to Moscow and Beijing, whose visit indicates that the strict border policy activated by Pyongyang to prevent the entry of Covid-19 at the beginning of 2020 could soon be modified. EFE

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