Human Interest

Kim Jong-un presides over civilian parade on important anniversary

Seoul, Apr 16 (EFE).- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a civilian parade in central Pyongyang to celebrate 110th birth anniversary of his grandfather and founder Kim Il-sung, state media reported Saturday.

The procession, which took place on Friday in central Kim Il-sung square, was also attended by three other members of the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers’ Party from the honor gallery, namely Choe Ryong-hae, Jo Jong-won and Kim Tok-hun.

The three senior officials, along with First Lady Ri Sol-jun, also accompanied Kim Jong-un the same day on his traditional visit to Kumsusan mausoleum in the North Korean capital, where the embalmed remains of his father and grandfather rest.

The images published by the KCNA agency showed colorful, march featuring floats and rows of youth and students, families of military personnel, and people considered of merit, among others.

Kim did not address the crowd gathered in Kim Il-sung Square, but Ri Il-hwan, a member of the Politburo, made an address elaborating the revolutionary spirit of Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994, terming it as “immortal.”

Experts expected a military parade to commemorate the 110th birth anniversary of North Korea’s founder, given the importance the regime attaches to anniversaries ending in 0 and 5, and the fact that satellites have been detecting preparations for a large military parade for months.

However, North Korean state media have not reported such an event, and analysts now consider it highly likely that the military parade will be held on Apr.25, marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of armed forces of the hermetic country.

The Day of the Sun festivities come amid increasing tensions, marked by recent missile tests by Pyongyang, which for the first time since 2017 launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in March.

Washington responded to it by sending an aircraft carrier near the peninsula for the first time in five years.

In addition, there is the widespread arms escalation on the Korean peninsula, where spring war games between South Korea and the United States kick off Monday, amid a possibility of the North soon carrying out a new nuclear test, as deduced from satellite images. EFE

asb/sc

Related Articles

Back to top button