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North Korea Displays Nuclear-Capable Missiles and Drones in Military Parade
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exhibited nuclear-capable missiles and new attack drones during a grand military parade in Pyongyang to mark "Victory Day," celebrating the end of the Korean War.
Accompanied by delegations from China and Russia, Kim oversaw the parade, which showcased North Korea's Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles, along with a flyover of advanced attack and spy drones.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that "Strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and multipurpose attack drones newly developed and produced… flew in demonstrations while circling in the sky over (Kim Il Sung Square), doubling the joy of the people celebrating."
Chinese ruling party official Li Hongzhong and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the first foreign dignitaries to visit Pyongyang since the COVID-19 pandemic, watched the parade with Kim from a balcony overlooking the capital.
Earlier, Kim and Shoigu viewed a military exhibition together and held talks on military matters related to the "regional and international security environment."
The presence of Chinese representatives at the parade showcasing nuclear-capable missiles raised concerns about Beijing's role in enabling Pyongyang's threats to global security, according to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul.
He urged UN member states to increase vigilance in observing and penalizing sanctions violations, given Russia's need for ammunition for its alleged illegal war in Ukraine and Kim Jong Un's willingness to provide a personal tour of North Korea's arms exhibition to the Russian defence minister.
The display of military might comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea conducting multiple weapons tests this year, including launches of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, which Pyongyang claims is its most powerful weapon yet.
Russia and China remain among the few countries maintaining friendly relations with North Korea, despite the heavy sanctions and censure it faces due to its nuclear weapons and missile development.
These two countries have thwarted United States-led efforts at the United Nations Security Council to intensify sanctions against Pyongyang's weapons programs.
The North Korean regime has supported Russia's view of the war in Ukraine, attributing Moscow's military action to protect its security as a response to Western hegemony.
In contrast, the US President Joe Biden's administration has accused
the Kim regime of providing weapons to Russian forces in Ukraine, an allegation
that Pyongyang has denied.
(Courtesy: Al-Jazeera)
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