With no long-range missiles on display, North Korea stages a military parade focused on conventional arms, peace and economic development, to mark the 70th anniversary of the country's founding. North Korea staged a huge military parade to mark its 70th anniversary as a nation. But the country held back its most advanced missiles and devoted nearly half of the parade to civilian efforts to build the domestic economy. The strong emphasis on the economy underscores leader Kim Jong Un’s new strategy of putting economic development at the forefront. Mr Kim attended the morning parade but did not address the assembled crowd, which included the head of the Chinese parliament and high-level delegations from countries that have friendly ties with the North.
Senior statesman Kim Yong Nam, the head of North Korea’s parliament, set the relatively softer tone for the event with an opening speech that emphasised the economic goals of the regime, not its nuclear might. After a truncated parade featuring tanks, fewer than the usual number of missiles and lots of goose-stepping units from all branches of the military, along with some students and others, the focus switched to civilian groups, ranging from nurses to construction workers, many with colourful floats beside them.
Although North Korea stages military parades almost every year, and held one just before the Olympics began in South Korea in February this year, Sunday’s parade came at a particularly sensitive time. Mr Kim’s effort to ease tensions with US president Donald Trump have stalled since their June summit in Singapore. Both sides are now insisting on a different starting point. Washington wants Kim to commit to denuclearisation first, but Pyongyang wants its security guaranteed and a peace agreement formally ending the Korean War.
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