Pyongyang marks army founding with mass parade

PYONGYANG — The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on Thursday celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces, the Korean People’s Army.

A military parade started before noon at the Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, but state television did not broadcast it live as it did on similar occasions in the past.

Mass processions were expected to follow the parade through the square under the watch of leaders of the country from a rostrum on the northern side of the plaza.

DPRK top leader Kim Jongun supervised the parade, the second within 10 months after a grand parade was held on April 25 and broadcast live in front of the world.

During the 90-minute parade, Kim delivered a speech, calling on the DPRK armed forces to safeguard peace on the Korean Peninsula while criticizing the United States for “sabotaging” regional and world peace.

Commending the KPA for its fighting records over the past 70 years, Kim urged the soldiers to maintain the revolutionary tradition set by former DPRK leaders.

Kim watched and cheered KPA officers and soldiers from 50 units, including missile forces, army, air force, navy, special operation force, artillery force and armored forces.

The DPRK’s latest model of ballistic missile, Hwasong-15, was also on display this time, state television reported.

The Hwasong-15, which

units

Pyongyang claimed was an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the US mainland, was tested in November.

All the roads and thoroughfares leading to central Pyongyang have been sealed off since Wednesday.

The parade was held one day ahead of the opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the Republic of Korea and is considered greatly symbolic as it shows the national defense strength of the country.

But the DPRK said the timing was purely a coincidence, denying allegations of “provocation” by some ROK media.

This is also the first time for the DPRK to celebrate its army day on Feb 8 instead of April 25, to highlight that Kim Il-sung, the founder of the DPRK, developed the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army into regular revolutionary armed forces on Feb 8, 1948.

The DPRK and the ROK are cooperating to make sure the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will be a success.