North Korea boasts of ‘invincible power’

PYONGYANG: North Korea’s state media boasted yesterday that its armed forces had “gained invincible power” under leader Kim Jong Un as it prepares for a major army holiday that analysts say could be marked with a military parade or major weapons test.

North Korea celebrates the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army today and the nuclear-armed country has staged military parades in the past to mark key holidays.

Pyongyang has carried out more than a dozen weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.

A report by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency listed the history of the country’s military achievements, from its battles against the United States in the 1950-53 Korean War to smaller conflicts.

The report added Kim had further propelled the country’s military might with his “genius military ideology, excellent military command and unparalleled courage and guts”.

“Our revolutionary armed forces have gained invincible power that the world cannot ignore,” it said, in an apparent reference to the North’s nuclear arsenal.

Signs that Pyongyang was preparing for its “biggest ever military parade” to mark the upcoming anniversary have been detected, Yonhap news agency reported, citing multiple unnamed government sources.

The parade was likely to take place at midnight, it said, involving 20,000 troops and the North’s most sophisticated weaponry including the “monster” Hwasong-17 ICBM as well as hypersonic and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.