A giant military parade appears to have taken place in North Korea on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party, the South Korean military said.
“Signs of a military parade – including equipment and a large number of individuals – were detected in Kim Il Sung Square early this morning,” the South Korean general staff said in a statement.
South Korean and American intelligence services “are carefully monitoring the event,” he added.
This parade takes place in a very heavy domestic context due, in particular, to the COVID-19 epidemic. North Korea, which has never confirmed a single case on its soil, closed its borders in January in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.
Unlike previous parades, no foreign media were invited. Many embassies are closed due to health restrictions, which means that the number of foreign observers is limited.
North Korea is subject to a series of draconian sanctions from the international community for its nuclear and ballistic missile program.