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Published: 10:32, September 09, 2021 | Updated: 14:47, September 09, 2021
DPRK holds nighttime military parade to mark 73rd anniversary
By Agencies
Published:10:32, September 09, 2021 Updated:14:47, September 09, 2021 By Agencies

In this photo provided by the DPRK government, DPRK soldiers parade during a celebration of the nation’s 73rd anniversary that was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, DPRK, early Sept 9, 2021. (KCNA/KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) celebrated the 73rd anniversary of its foundation with a nighttime military parade in the capital, state media reported on Thursday, publishing photographs of marching rows of personnel in orange hazmat suits but no ballistic missiles.

Leader Kim Jong-un attended the event as paramilitary and public security forces of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards, the country's largest civilian defense force, began marching in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung square at midnight Wednesday, the official KCNA news agency said.

READ MORE: Xi congratulates DPRK on its 73rd founding anniversary

In this photo provided by the DPRK government, DPRK leader Kim Jong-un, center, waves from a balcony toward the assembled troops and spectators during during a celebration of the nation’s 73rd anniversary that was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, DPRK, early Sept 9, 2021. (KCNA/KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)

Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Worker's Party's newspaper, published photographs of people in orange hazmat suits with medical-grade masks in an apparent symbol of anti-coronavirus efforts, and troops holding rifles marching together.

Some conventional weapons were also on display, including multiple rocket launchers and tractors carrying anti-tank missiles.

But no ballistic missiles were seen or mentioned in the reports, and Kim did not deliver any speech.

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In this photo provided by the DPRK government, a huge DPRK flag is displayed during a celebration of the nation’s 73rd anniversary that was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, DPRK, early Sept 9, 2021. (KCNA/KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)

"The columns of emergency epidemic prevention and the Ministry of Public Health were full of patriotic enthusiasm to display the advantages of the socialist system all over the world, while firmly protecting the security of the country and its people from the worldwide pandemic," the KCNA said.

The DPRK has not confirmed any COVID-19 cases, but closed borders and imposed strict prevention measures, seeing the pandemic as a matter of national survival.

In this photo provided by the DPRK government, DPRK leader Kim Jong-un walks with children during a celebration of the nation’s  73rd anniversary that was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, DPRK, early Sept 9, 2021. (KCNA/KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)

It was the first time since 2013 that the DPRK staged a parade with the 5.7 million strong Worker-Peasant Red Guards.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the perceived absence of strategic weapons and the focus on public security forces showed Kim is focused on domestic issues such as COVID-19 and the economy.

"The parade seems to be strictly designed as a domestic festival aimed at promoting national unity and solidarity of the regime," Yang said.

In this photo provided by the DPRK government, DPRK troops wearing gas masks and bright red suits parade during a celebration of the nation’s 73rd anniversary that was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, DPRK, early Sept 9, 2021. (KCNA/KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)


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