N. KOREA HOLDS DEFENSE EXHIBITION

[Anchor Lead]

For the first time ever, North Korea has marked its ruling party’s founding anniversary with a lecture and defense exhibition, instead of holding a military parade. Leader Kim Jong-un gave a speech at the exhibition calling for stronger national defense.

[Pkg]

On display are intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and even a hypersonic missile North Korea claims to have test-fired last month. A large number of new weapons Pyongyang developed in the past 5 years are out on display. In particular, a new and smaller SLBM is showcased for the first time. Kim Jong-un stressed his country needs to get stronger in military power.

[Soundbite] (Kim Jong-un’s speech(RECITED BY ANCHOR)) : "Continued strengthening of unrivaled military capabilities is our party’s unwavering and most important policy goal and determination."

The regime enumerated a list of weapons South Korea has recently introduced or are in the process of developing. It critized Seoul, saying its attempt to modernize armaments is growing more blatant and that it’s hypocritical in trying to deprive the North of rights to advance self-defense. Regarding the U.S., the North said though Washington signals that it is not hostile towards Pyongyang, there are no grounds to believe that argument, based on its actions. However Kim said his country’s main enemy is war itself and not South Korea or the U.S. and sought to justify the regime’s weapons development.

[Soundbite] Hong Min(Korea Institute for Nat’l Unification) : "The N. Korea is implying that development of strategic weapons must be pursued as a right to self-defense and can’t be negotiable."

Experts believe the North opting for a defense exhibition instead of a military parade this year is an attempt to drop its belligerent image, underline normal defense activities of an ordinary country and even flaunt its strategic weapons capabilities to the world for potential sales. South Korea has proposed talks to ease differences following the North’s demand for Seoul to withdraw what Pyongyang calls its double standards. Meanwhile top nuclear envoys of South Korea and Russia will hold talks in Moscow on Thursday to discuss ways to resume dialogue and possible declaration of a formal end to the Korean War.