Seoul: North Korea is yet to stage a military parade that is widely expected to take place in Pyongyang to mark a key national anniversary this week, an informed source said on Monday.
Many had predicted the opening of the parade on Sunday midnight on the occasion of the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA) that falls on the day, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The KPRA is the anti-Japanese guerilla force known to have been created by national founder Kim Il-sung in 1932.
Satellite imagery showed the North’s apparent preparations, involving thousands of troops and key pieces of military equipment, to hold a street parade at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang.
Some observers in Seoul said the parade might have been delayed due to weather or other unspecified conditions amid a forecast of rain in the North’s capital.
On Monday morning, North Korean state media, including the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), carried articles on the anniversary but did not mention whether a military parade was held.
Under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, who took power in late 2011, the North has held nine major military parades for national celebrations, including the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party on October 10.
North Korea has observed the army founding anniversary on April 25 since 1978, before switching the date back to February 8 in 2018.
–IANS