13,000 North Korean soldiers ready to show off power
Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang was filled with flags and military parades today (February 8); just ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea.
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| It is not clear what kind of weapons will appear in this year's parade at Kim Il Sung Square. Photo: AFP |
A diplomatic source told CNN that today's parade will see the appearance of brand new North Korean weapons. The purpose is to demonstrate that Pyongyang has put these weapons into mass production, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the United States.
North Korea has tested numerous ballistic missiles, including an ICBM called the Hwasong-15, last year.
"If you look at the 2017 parade, I believe there will be a lot of new technology on display this year. It must be things that they have been testing over the past year," expert Melissa Hanham of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies told CNN.
Military parades are not uncommon in Pyongyang, often taking place just before important occasions. Last year, to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, a parade featuring modern weapons was held.
The anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army is also celebrated annually. However, 2018 will be the first year that Pyongyang will hold a military parade to mark the occasion on February 8. The decision to move the date was made recently, under leader Kim Jong Un.
Sources say that Mr. Kim wanted to be different from his father and grandfather by not taking April 25, 1932, the day the late leader Kim Il Sung founded the Korean People's Revolutionary Army against Japan, as a milestone. However, according to North Korean explanations and history, the date change is reasonable. On February 8, 1948, this force officially became the army of North Korea after the two regions were divided.