North Korea gears up for military showcase

North Korea is preparing for a massive military parade in its capital to mark the 75th anniversary of its ruling party next month, satellite images have indicated, even as the country strengthen sits anti- coronavirus measures.

The images – provided by Maxar, a Colorado- based satellite imagery company – show thousands of people assembled in formation near Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square and rehearsing for a military parade. The anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party is on 10 October. North Korea often holds military parades featuring goose- stepping soldiers and new weapons systems on state anniversaries to bolster unity and intimidate enemies.

The country insists it has not had any coronavirus cases, a claim widely disputed by many foreign experts.

On Monday, the North’s Korean Central News Agency said the country was intensifying its emergency anti- coronavirus efforts.