North Korea celebrated its 75th anniversary in its usual impressive manner. People marched through the capital Pyongyang with torchlights – accompanied by soldiers and military equipment.
On the occasion of the proclamation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – more commonly known as North Korea – there was a big celebration in the capital Pyongyang. The 75th anniversary of the founding of the state was celebrated with a night parade. According to state media reports, ruler Kim Jong Un also attended the ceremony with his daughter.
Images from the country’s state-run Central News Agency show the torchlight gala at Pyongyang’s monumental Kim Il Sung Square. The focus was on the “Workers-Peasants Red Guards” – a paramilitary organization. The parade also featured columns of motorcycles and anti-tank missile launchers pulled by tractors, it said.
Ruler Kim took his daughter to the celebrations.
Putin and Xi congratulate the 75th anniversary
No other country in the world has isolated itself from international events like North Korea. Nevertheless, ruler Kim received a few congratulations from abroad – from the heads of government of neighboring Russia and China. A Chinese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Liu Guozhong was also on site.
China’s state and party leader Xi Jinping praised North Korea’s achievements in building socialism. “Under the new circumstances, China is willing to cooperate with North Korea,” said the greeting message published by China’s state news agency Xinhua.
According to the North Korean media, Putin also found similarly benevolent words in his letter to Kim: Both countries would like to further expand their relations. Most recently, US media reported, citing US officials, that Kim intended to travel to Russia to negotiate arms deliveries with Putin.
Celebrations as a show of power by North Korea
The authoritarian country ruled by Kim often uses important holidays or commemorations to demonstrate its power. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Korean peninsula fell under Japanese colonial rule. In 1910 the Japanese Empire completely annexed the area. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Republic of Korea was founded in the south in 1948. Almost a month later, on September 9th, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea followed in the northern part.