At the parade in honor of the national day in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, not only thousands of soldiers were seen this time. There were also people in protective clothing. They were wearing orange-red suits and gas masks.
“The country may want to use this to convey that it has the corona pandemic under control,” correspondent Sjoerd den Daas said in a statement. NOS Radio 1 News. “North Korea does not officially have a single corona case, although there is doubt about it. It can be seen as a way to show: these are the heroes who are dragging us through the crisis.”
The parade was held in honor of the national holiday, Republic Day. “It seems that this time it was slightly smaller than in the previous nightly parades,” says Den Daas. “No missiles would have been shown either.”
New ballistic missiles were on display at the January parade see, which state news agency KCNA labeled “the most powerful weapon in the world”. Last year came a huge long-range missile past. Other weapons such as rocket launchers and anti-tank weapons were shown this time.
Show of connection
The parade seemed primarily intended for the North Korean population and less for the outside world. “The parade was described in the state media as a show of solidarity and patriotism,” says correspondent Den Daas.
“The country is struggling with famine, an economic crisis and may be even more isolated due to corona. Although the nuclear program continues as usual, Kim Jong-un may not have felt much sense at this stage to continue feeding the cat. bind with Biden and his allies.”
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