Kim Jong Un praised his nuclear-armed troops’ “irresistible power” while visiting military leaders with his daughter to celebrate the 75th anniversary of his army’s founding. The visit and address to military leaders follow reports that North Korea is organizing a massive military parade in Pyongyang to display its burgeoning nuclear and conventional weapons programs. On Wednesday, Kim and his daughter Kim Ju Ae visited his general officers’ quarters, according to KCNA. He thanked troops at a banquet for maintaining the “strongest army in the world” despite external challenges.
Kim urged for more combat drills to improve war preparation a day before his visit. On Tuesday, state television showed military officials clapping during the banquet at Pyongyang’s Yanggakdo Hotel. Kim and his nine- or 10-year-old kid clutched hands as they walked down a red carpet with Kim’s wife, Ri Sol Ju. Kim’s daughter stood next to her father as he shook senior officials’ hands and sat at a table with military leaders in her fourth public appearance. She had attended an intercontinental ballistic missile test launch, military scientist meetings, and missile inspections with her father. Kim told the banquet, “For the strengthening and growth of our military forces, let us all double our efforts and do more for the happy development of the socialist motherland,” according to KCNA. In a another article, KCNA said Kim’s command of large-scale military drills last year, including hundreds of fighter aircraft flights, “inflicted a severe blow on the largest combined air exercise ever undertaken by the United States and its agents” in November. From Seoul, Rob McBride reported that satellite photographs showed North Korea preparing a set-piece parade. He added this military display follows Pyongyang’s extraordinary 80 ballistic missile tests in 2022. Parades in downtown Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square showcase new armaments, including nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. Four military parades have occurred at night.
According to recordings obtained by Seoul-based NK News, illuminated aircraft flew low above Pyongyang around 1am on Wednesday (19:00 GMT, Tuesday) and music could be heard from the plaza, indicating a parade. Yang Uk, a research researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies think tank, told Reporter that North Korea wants to demonstrate “that their tactical nuclear capabilities is real and it can function in any situation”.
