Hardline Military Rhetoric and Kim Juae's Front-Row Placement
Large-Scale Parade Featuring Overseas-Dispatched Units
Seen as a Move to Highlight the Regime's "Symbol of the Future"
North Korea held a large-scale military parade at Kim Ilsung Square in Pyongyang on the night of the 25th to commemorate the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea. The event drew attention as Kim Juae (estimated to be 13 years old), daughter of State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jongun, was positioned at the front.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 26th, Chairman Kim Jongun issued a hardline external message at the parade, declaring that North Korea would "immediately carry out a merciless retaliatory strike against any military hostile act that infringes upon the sovereignty and security interests of the country." He went on to stress that "our armed forces are prepared for every situation."
North Korea held a large-scale military parade at Pyongyang's Kim Ilsung Square on the night of the 25th to commemorate the Workers' Party's 9th Congress. The event drew attention as the daughter of Kim Jongun, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Kim Juae (estimated to be 13 years old), was positioned at the front. Yonhap News Agency
The event featured 50 marching formations, including all service branches and arms, as well as an aerial parade formation. The ranks included tank and armored divisions, mechanized infantry divisions, and fire-assault divisions, as well as the "overseas operations unit formation" and the "overseas engineer regiment formation," which are known to have been dispatched to the war in Ukraine. Forward corps formations from near the Military Demarcation Line also appeared, clearly conveying a warning toward South Korea.
However, key strategic assets such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and hypersonic missiles, which were showcased at the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Party's founding in October last year, did not appear to be present at this event. Satellite imagery likewise did not identify any movement of large transporter-erector-launchers. Instead, the political symbolism of the event was highlighted through a mass parachute jump demonstration by airborne troops and an air show that formed the number "9" in the sky. On the reviewing stand sat Chairman Kim and core party and government officials, including members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau.
Kim Juae's prominent placement at the front is interpreted as an attempt to publicly reaffirm her status as the regime's "symbol of the future," beyond simply accompanying [him]. With permed hair and wearing a black leather coat, Kim Juae stood by Chairman Kim's side together with her mother Ri Solju. Yonhap News
In particular, Kim Juae's front-row placement is interpreted as an attempt to publicly reaffirm her as the regime's "symbol of the future," going beyond merely accompanying her father. Kim Juae, sporting permed hair and a black leather coat, stood by Chairman Kim alongside her mother Ri Solju. At one point, as they descended the steps, footage captured Kim Juae, not Kim Jongun, positioned in the very center.
The released footage also showed Chairman Kim Jongun and Kim Juae wearing matching leather outerwear as they stood in front of their exclusive limousine, an Aurus. The Aurus, known to have been gifted by President Vladimir Putin, is often referred to as the "Rolls-Royce of Russia." The license plate number "727 0001" is interpreted as a combination of "727," symbolizing July 27, 1953, the date of the signing of the Armistice Agreement, and "0001," signifying North Korea's supreme leader. Analysts view this parade as an attempt to visually imprint the power succession structure by combining a hardline military message with staging that places Kim Juae at the forefront.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
