North Korean state media KCNA reported that the president Kim Jong Un has presided over a major military parade featuring the nation’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile as international dignitaries looked on. Friday night parade commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s founding, following Thursday’s celebrations. The foreign guests in Pyongyang were Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnam’s Communist Party leader To Lam.
During the parade, North Korea showcased its advanced Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, which KCNA characterized as nation’s “strongest nuclear strategic weapon system”. The Hwasong ICBM series provides North Korea with the theoretical capability to strike anywhere in the United States, experts remain uncertain about its guidance precision and whether its warhead could survive atmospheric re-entry. During the parade, Kim offered “warm encouragement” to North Korean troops serving abroad, notably in Russia’s Ukraine war, noting their heroism would extend beyond national defense to “outposts of socialist construction,” according to KCNA.
Kim declared “Our army should continue to grow into an invincible entity that destroys all threats”. Kim also met with Medvedev, who remarked that North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine demonstrated the trust between their nations. North Korean Leader expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with Russia and engage in diverse exchanges to achieve mutual goals, KCNA reported.
