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North Korea seen preparing for military parade for Workers' Party anniversary

Published: 02 Oct. 2025, 14:56 Updated: 02 Oct. 2025, 15:05

This Sept. 9, 2023 file photo, released by the North's Korean Central News Agency, shows a nighttime military parade — marking the North's 75th state founding anniversary — taking place in Pyongyang. [KCNA]

North Korea appears to be preparing for a large-scale military parade, possibly to be held at night, to mark next week's key party anniversary, South Korea's military confirmed on Thursday.

The North is set to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea on Oct. 10. North Korea has staged a military parade on party anniversaries that end in zero or five.

“There
are signs of North Korea preparing for a military parade involving tens of thousands of people, which our military is closely monitoring,” Col. Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said in a regular press briefing.

Lee said the military detected movements of vehicles and some military equipment but did not elaborate further.

The JCS official said the North may stage a nighttime military parade, but it remains to be seen whether the event will take place near or before midnight.

Analysts have raised views that Pyongyang may showcase the next-generation Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile under development during the military parade or test launch it around the anniversary.

Yonhap