North Korea Preparing Military Parade at Pyongyang Kim Il-sung Square
Interest Grows Whether Kim Jong-un, Missing for Over a Month, Will Deliver Speech
[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Signs have been found that North Korea is preparing a large-scale military parade ahead of the founding day of the Korean People's Army on the 8th. Although there were speculations that the parade might be postponed due to the recent resurgence of COVID-19, it appears that the midnight parade will be carried out as planned. North Korea has held midnight parades since the 75th anniversary parade on October 10, 2020.
The Voice of America (VOA) broadcast on the 5th revealed photos taken the previous day of Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang by the private satellite imagery company 'Planet Labs,' stating, "A large crowd, seemingly mobilized for parade preparations, has appeared once again," and "The 'red glow' typically seen during full-scale rehearsals appeared without fail."
In the past, North Korea has gathered equipment and personnel at Sunan Airport or Mirim Airfield ahead of parades, and this time, personnel mobilized were seen forming shapes such as ‘2·8’ and ‘75th Army,’ which is interpreted as preparation for the ‘February 8th, 75th anniversary of the founding of the army’ parade.
If the parade is held on the 8th of this month, attention will focus on whether Kim Jong-un, who has been in hiding for over a month, will attend in person and stand on the podium. Major strategic weapons such as the 'Hwasong-17' are expected to be deployed during the parade.
So far, COVID-19 has been considered a variable for holding this founding day parade. Although North Korea declared the end of COVID-19 last August, the spread of the virus appears to be ongoing. In particular, at the end of last month, a five-day lockdown was imposed in Pyongyang due to an increase in cases of ‘winter respiratory diseases.’
The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang, on the 26th of last month (local time), posted a statement on its official Facebook account introducing a diplomatic note received the previous day from the Protocol Department of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reporting that the North Korean authorities declared a five-day special quarantine period related to the spread of respiratory diseases. The note did not mention COVID-19 but only referred to respiratory diseases.
Furthermore, on the 3rd, the Workers' Party organ newspaper Rodong Sinmun published an article titled ‘Continue to Intensify Emergency Epidemic Prevention,’ pointing out, "Currently, the malignant epidemic that has infected hundreds of millions worldwide and caused millions of deaths is not being suppressed and continues to expand."
There is also analysis that North Korea’s imposition of lockdown measures in Pyongyang and tightening of epidemic prevention through media outlets is related to the large-scale parade scheduled for this week. North Korea experienced a precedent where COVID-19 spread throughout the country following the parade commemorating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army at the end of April last year.
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