By Jack Kim and Joyce Lee
SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea was expected to stage a military parade on Friday to showcase its growing military might as leader Kim Jong Un declared the country’s global standing was rising by the day at an event marking the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party.
Mirroring his visit last month to Beijing for China’s World War Two anniversary, Kim was flanked by the leaders of allies as he called his country a “faithful member of socialist forces” and “a bulwark for independence” against the threat of the West’s global hegemony.
Kim honoured the legacy of the party that he said had made “not a single mistake or error” in its 80-year history, leading the country on a path of ascent riding on the wisdom and strength of the people, state news agency KCNA said on Friday.
“Today, we stand before the world as a mighty people with no obstacles we cannot overcome and no great achievement we cannot accomplish,” he said in a speech at May Day stadium on Thursday attended by high-level foreign delegations, KCNA reported.
A military parade was likely to take place on Friday evening, a South Korean military official said, citing indications of ongoing rehearsals involving troops, missiles and military equipment.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has used such parades, usually coinciding with key anniversaries and recently staged at night, as a glitzy showcase of growing military power, rolling out progressively advanced ballistic missiles and military hardware.
This week’s parade is being watched by officials and analysts for a possible display of the latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) powered by solid fuel with a range that can hit the mainland U.S.
On the centre podium of the packed May Day stadium on Thursday, Kim was joined by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vietnamese leader To Lam and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, with foreign delegations and diplomats also in attendance.
The large crowd gathered erupted in cheers “that shook the capital’s night sky,” and the evening’s celebrations included mass games and art performances, KCNA said.
Kim received Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam, who is leading a large government delegation, with an honour-guard welcome and held talks on advancing cooperation to meet global challenges, KCNA said.
While international sanctions against Pyongyang have limited cooperation, Lam’s large entourage shows Hanoi wants to add a lot more substance to their enduring Cold War connections, said Khang Vu, a visiting scholar on East Asian politics at Boston College.
Vietnam and North Korea see each other as significant potential economic partners, Vu said. “Vietnam can also be useful for North Korea to communicate with the West when Russia is being isolated while China has raised much skepticism,” he said.
Kim also held talks with China’s Li, where they said the visit marked a “new chapter” in advancing the two countries’ ties under their supreme leaders and pledged to expand strategic dialogue and high-level exchanges, KCNA said.
(Reporting by Jack Kim, Josh Smith, Joyce Lee; Editing by Chris Reese, Jamie Freed)
