SEOUL: State media reported on Thursday that Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, was in charge of a significant military parade to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the country's armed forces. The event featured some of his most cutting-edge weapons.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, the parade, which took place in Pyongyang's central Kim Il Sung Square on February 8, featured fireworks, military bands, and uniformed soldiers marching in unison to spell out "2.8" and "75."
State media photos showed Kim with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter, Ju Ae, attending the parade in a black coat and fedora, a fashion choice also made by Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea.
Images showed the top leader inspecting rows of soldiers armed with bayonets while standing next to his top generals and saluting as troops and missile units passed on a red carpet.
Military parades are held to commemorate significant holidays and events in the nuclear-armed nation. These events are closely watched by observers for clues about the regime's progress in developing its banned ballistic and nuclear weapons.
According to KCNA, columns of missiles were paraded through the square, including a "tactical nuclear operation unit" whose "mighty war deterrence and counterattack capabilities" were displayed.
According to KCNA, spectators cheered when a column of the nation's most potent intercontinental ballistic missiles appeared in the square.
"The transformative development of the DPRK's national defense capability and the country's greatest nuclear attack capability" was one of the highlights of the parade, according to KCNA, which used North Korea's official name.
"Nuke for nuke, confrontation for confrontation!" was the theme of the parade, which emphasized the nation's capacity to confront its adversaries. KCNA more.
At 10:05 p.m. (1305 GMT) on Wednesday, commercial satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies showed a large North Korean flag and thousands of people gathered at Kim Il Sung Square.
Although he unveiled Ju Ae at an intercontinental ballistic missile launch in November of last year, Pyongyang's state media never mentioned Kim's children. Seoul's spy agency believes he has three children with wife Ri.
The 10-year-old has been with her father at a number of high-profile events since then, the most recent of which was a banquet on Tuesday to commemorate the army's founding anniversary.
She is compared to a "princess" in North Korea, according to analysts, and her frequent interactions with her father may suggest that she is his chosen successor.
Because he most resembled his own father, Kim Jong Il, he chose Kim Jong Un to be his successor over his older children.
In recent years, North Korea has held four nighttime military parades, including the most recent one.
Following a record-breaking year of weapons tests, which included the firing of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, North Korea has pledged to expand and intensify military drills to ensure its readiness for war. The parade comes after the country has pledged to do the same.
Kim recently called for an "exponential" increase in Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, which would include developing new missiles for nuclear counterstrikes and mass-producing tactical nuclear weapons.