‘Invincible power’: North Korea teases nukes ahead of big military holiday

North Korea on Saturday proclaimed that it had invented an “invincible power that the world cannot ignore and no one can touch” under the leadership of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, a veiled yet apparent reference to nuclear weapons ahead of a big military celebration in Pyongyang.

State media outlet KCNA heaped praise on the country’s Supreme Leader, praising Kim’s “genius military ideology and outstanding military command and unparalleled courage and guts.”

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The KCNA went on list the achievements of the North Korean military, from its exploits in the Korean War of 1950-1953, and its later skirmishes with neighbour South Korea, adding that Pyongyang’s forces had the training, equipment, and know-how to “cope with any modern warfare.”

North Korea is gearing up to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army on Monday, and many analysts and experts have predicted that a large military parade is likely to take place to mark the occasion.

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Indeed, satellite images of the secretive country over the past few weeks have shown thousands of North Korean troops practicing marching in formation at a training ground in the capital city of Pyongyang, a possible sign of an upcoming military parade.

That being said, North Korea’s most recent parades, including ones in which new weapons, such as the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), were unveiled, have been held at night to avoid prying eyes, and it remains to be seen whether Pyongyang adopts a similar strategy for Monday’s celebrations.

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A weapons display, or at least a proclamation of military strength would hardly be surprising, given the flurry of missile tests North Korea has carried out since the beginning of the year.

Pyongyang is believed to have carried out at least 12 separate tests since January, sparking fears that Kim Jong-un could be gearing up to resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time since 2017.