By Josh Smith
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the country’s military to be bolstered, state media reported on Wednesday, as he paid tribute to soldiers and met with troops amid expectations for a major military parade displaying the latest weapons.
Kim attended a banquet with his wife and daughter Tuesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, state media reported.
“Let’s all redouble our efforts to strengthen and develop our armed forces and do more for the prosperous development of the socialist motherland,” he said during a speech at the banquet, according to state news agency KCNA.
The comments came a day after he pledged to expand military exercises and boost the nuclear-armed country’s wartime readiness.
In a separate report, KCNA cited Kim’s leadership in large-scale military exercises over the past year, including the flights of hundreds of warplanes, as “a powerful blow to the largest joint air exercise ever conducted by the United States and its agents.” November.
Commercial satellite imagery for months has shown North Korean troops practicing for a major military parade expected this week, according to international analysts.
Such parades are usually held at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang and are often used to show off new weapons, including ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
The last four military parades were held after dark.
Illuminated planes flew low over Pyongyang around 1 a.m. Wednesday and music could be heard from the square, suggesting a parade was imminent, Seoul-based NK News reported, citing videos it had obtained.
Despite United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions, North Korea has pursued the development of banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Last year, North Korea launched its largest-ever ICBM amid a record year of launches, and officials in Seoul and Washington say it has made preparations to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 2017.
South Korea and the United States have stepped up their own military drills to counter the North and have been condemned by Pyongyang.
(Reporting by Josh Smith. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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