▲ This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 9, 2023, shows the North staging a military parade in Pyongyang the previous day to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-military parade

(LEAD) N. Korea may stage military parade to mark Victory Day as early as midnight

(ATTN: ADDS more details in paras 4-5, 7)

SEOUL, July 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may conduct a much-anticipated military parade as early as midnight Wednesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice celebrated in the reclusive country as Victory Day, multiple sources said.

Commercial satellite imagery has shown that the North has been preparing for the parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang -- an event likely aimed at highlighting its military presence and fostering internal unity.

"The parade could begin as early as midnight and stretch into the wee hours," a government source told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity.

Signs were detected of the North gearing up for a nighttime air show featuring combat aircraft and other assets, the source added.

Until 2018, Pyongyang held military parades mostly in the morning. But since the event held to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party in October 2020, it has staged parades in the evening or late at night.

The upcoming parade, if held, is expected to set the stage for Pyongyang to flaunt its nuclear delivery capabilities after it enacted an aggressive nuclear force doctrine last year that threatens the preemptive use of nuclear arms.

The list of weapons likely to be showcased includes intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles as well as Hwasal-1 and Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles, observers said. Haeil underwater nuclear attack drones and Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warheads could also appear.

The parade could mark the culmination of its show-of-force efforts, including the launch of a Hwasong-18 ICBM and other cruise and ballistic missile firings earlier this month.

Pyongyang has recently been ratcheting up tensions as Seoul and Washington step up joint efforts to strengthen America's extended deterrence commitment to mobilizing the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend South Korea.

Ahead of the anticipated parade, a Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The Chinese delegation led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, is also expected to visit the North.

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