Kim presides over holiday fete

North Korean leader, crowds honor founder

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a massive civilian parade in the capital, Pyongyang, celebrating a milestone birth anniversary of his state-founding grandfather in which thousands marched in a choreographed display of loyalty to the Kim family, state media said Saturday.

The reports didn’t mention any speech or comments made by Kim during Friday’s event and it appeared the country passed its biggest holiday without showcasing its military hardware, amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.

Commercial satellite images in recent weeks have indicated preparations for a large military parade in Pyongyang, which could take place on the April 25 founding anniversary of North Korea’s army and display the most advanced weapons in Kim’s nuclear arsenal, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles.

There’s also an expectation that Pyongyang will escalate its weapons testing in the coming weeks or months, possibly including a resumption of nuclear explosive tests or test-flying missiles over Japan, as it attempts to force a response from the Biden administration while it deals with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a rivalry with China.

State media images showed Kim waving from a balcony looking over Kim Il Sung Square, which is named after his grandfather, as huge columns of people carrying red plastic flowers and floats with political slogans marched below.

Ri Il Hwan, a member of the ruling Workers’ Party Politburo, issued a call for loyalty, saying in a speech that North Koreans will “always emerge victorious” under Kim’s guidance. It appeared Kim didn’t deliver a speech and state media didn’t mention any comments regarding the United States or rival South Korea.

The parade came hours before thousands of young people performed a mass dance in the square as fireworks lit up the night sky.

Kim Il Sung’s birthday is the most important national holiday in North Korea, where the Kim family has ruled under a strong personality cult since the nation’s founding in 1948. The celebrations marking the 110th anniversary of his birth came as his grandson revives nuclear brinkmanship aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and remove crippling economic sanctions.

The Associated Press North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, on the 110th birth anniversary of Kim’s late grandfather Kim Il Sung.