Military parades in North Korea
This is a list of military parades held in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 1948.
All military parades consist of troops from the Korean People's Army and the paramilitary Worker-Peasant Red Guards.
All military parades of a national nature are held on Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square with the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, President of the State Affairs Commission and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of North Korea in attendance.
It included the participation of about 20,000 North Korean soldiers who stood at attention during the first part of the parade in which Premier Kim Il Sung presided as commander in chief.
[6] According to a later defector from the Pyongyang Defense Command, a female officer collapsed after her appendix burst following the parade, to which she was "praised" by her superiors for having concealed it.
[20] It was speculated that this parade, which was the first since the holiday was changed back to 8 February,[21] was held deliberately to coincide with the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Pyeongchang County, South Korea, during which North Korean and South Korean athletes marched together in the parade of nations.
[23] The 90th anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army [ko] was marked with a nighttime military parade on April 25.
[40][34][12] It was noted for the absence of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, which caused speculation on his state of health.
[41] Many intelligence agencies in the United States believed Kim might be "gravely ill" after suffering from a stroke, which caused his absence from the parade.
[42] Only the Worker-Peasant Red Guards took part, providing personnel and equipment for the march past and the mobile column.
[50] Russian Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matviyenko and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, as well as delegations from Cuba, Syria, Lebanon, the State of Palestine, Uganda, and South Africa were in attendance during the celebrations.
[51] General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping was expected to attend the parade during his state visit to North Korea on 9 September, but cancelled his attendance, instead sending Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
The columns of the troops are as follows:[58] Parades in honor of Party Foundation Day: Celebrated the 50th golden jubilee anniversary of the WPK.
Among the parade formations was the Paektusan Hero Youth Shock Brigade, which came to Pyongyang at the personal request of Kim Jong Un.
[81][82] Also, it was the first to be held at midnight, and saw the return of the Soviet style goose-step as the official parade step of all KPA formations.
Additionally, Chinese military influences were also observed, such as the style of flag raising and turning of heads during parade inspection.
[83] The massed military bands performed an exhibition drill routine, shaping the numbers "10.10", "1945", and "2020" during the prelude to the parade.
[92] Other notable attendees included O Jin-u, Kim Jong Il, and Marshal Vasily Petrov (Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Army).
[99] Outside of Vice President Li, attending dignitaries included the following:[100] Politburo member U Tong-chuk appeared at the parade after a 17-month absence.
[105] Choe Ryong-hae, the director of the KPA General Political Bureau delivered the keynote address, saying that "a peaceful environment is important for the country that gives priority to economic construction and improvement of the lives of our people".
This is the first time North Korea invited foreign delegates to the country's military parade since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The columns of the troops are as follows:[109] Attending dignitaries included the following:[110] A smaller scale military parade was held at the plaza of Pyongyang Indoor Stadium.
It was the first parade during which Kim Jong Un attended in the position of Supreme Leader of North Korea, and was held at the forecourt of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
[117] BBC reporter John Sudworth described the parade as one where "he could feel the ground shake as soldiers and rockets passed by".
[118] Markus Schiller, a weapons analyst, expressed his surprise with an ICBM's appearance, noting that most technology seen before were "one quarter of the size".
During the parade, a new unit of Korean People's Army Special Operation Force wearing modern combat gear, including night-vision goggles and plate carriers, marched along with elements of the Korean People's Army in a parade on the 105th anniversary of the birth of the founder of North Korea Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang.
Korean Central Television compared the new unit to the U.S. Navy SEALs and they described it with the name Lightning Commandos.
[128] The columns of the troops are as follows: A special parade was held outside of Pyongyang for the first time on 6 June 1972 in the northeastern border city of Hyesan, Ryanggang Province.
The headliner of the parade was a new submarine-launched ballistic missile known as the Pukguksong-5, which KCNA declared was "the world's most powerful weapon".
[143] On 17 January, General Secretary Kim Jong Un had a photo session with the participants in the military parade.
