PYONGYANG: North Korea staged an intimidating parade of military muscle and patriotic fervour on Saturday, aimed at rallying support around leader Kim Jong-Un on the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.

For two hours, wave after wave of goose-stepping soldiers, followed by batteries of tanks and longer-range missiles on giant mobile launchers, marched through Kim II-Sung square in a highly orchestrated display of national solidarity and defiance.

Kim Jong-Un, flanked by top military officials and Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao, took the salute from the review podium overlooking Pyongyang’s giant Kim II-Sung square, which was turned into a sea of colour by hundreds of thousands of men and women waving flags and red, pink, white and blue flowers.

Analysts concluded after the April event that the missile was actually a mock-up.

North Korea’s missile programme is shrouded in secrecy, but few observers believe it has the inter-continental ballistic capacity its leadership has sometimes hinted at.

The ceasefire in the 1950-53 Korean War is celebrated in North Korea as “Victory Day” over US and UN-led forces, even though the conflict ended in a territorial stalemate.

For all the military muscle being flexed in the parade ground, Choe stressed the need for a “peaceful environment” on the Korean peninsula.

Despite paying some lip service to economic reform, Kim Jong-Un has shown no real sign of deviating from his late father Kim Jong-II’s “military first” policy that prioritised military power over economic welfare. The parade followed a recent surge in military tensions on the peninsula triggered by the North’s third nuclear test in February.

Analysts said the parade was not just a way for Pyongyang to show off its military might but also to shore up domestic support for North Korea’s new leader.

Professor Kim Yong-Hyun at Dongguk University told, “Through this parade, North Korea sought to flex its military muscle before the world and impress other countries with its nuclear and missile capabilities. At the same time, it also wanted to rally North Koreans behind the young ruler.”

The presence of the Chinese vice president — the most senior Beijing official to visit Pyongyang since Kim came to power — was significant given recent strained ties between the North and its sole major ally.

China’s relationship with North Korea — famously described by Mao Zedong as being as close as “lips and teeth” — was forged in the Korean war, which China entered to prevent the North’s total defeat.

But the relationship has weakened significantly over the years, as China’s economic transformation has distanced it from the ideological rigidity of the dynastic Kim regime across the border.

Increasingly frustrated by North Korea’s provocative behaviour, China signed off on the UN sanctions imposed after the February nuclear test.—AFP