N. KOREA'S NIGHTTIME MILITARY PARADE

[Anchor Lead]

We passed on news that North Korea held a nighttime military parade to mark its foundation. The North has disclosed the footage of the parade, as had been expected.

Nothing was said in the address of the United States or South Korea, and no ballistic missiles were featured at the event. Instead, Pyongyang emphasized its paramilitary force called Worker-Peasant Red Guards to bolster solidarity.

[Pkg]

The nighttime parade started with a congratulatory air show staged by fighter jets and artillery salutes. Kim Jong-un, donning a suit, is welcomed by loud cheers from the crowd. The highlight of this year’s parade is not the army but the public security forces of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards. Its members are men and single women aged 17 to 60. Factory workers, scientists and even artists all carried guns at the parade. The North’s emergency disease prevention unit dressed in hazmat suits drew particular attention. The social security unit and firefighters also marched in the parade. They praised socialism and stressed self-strengthening and self-help.

[Soundbite] Ri Il-hwan(N. Korea’s Workers’ Party Secretary) : "We must build a socialist superpower through solidarity."

It’s the first military parade in eight years to feature the Worker-Peasant Red Guards. Observers say the goal was to bolster solidarity rather than send a message to other countries.

[Soundbite] Lim Eul-chul(Prof., Kyungnam University) : "This shows that the priority is on appeasing the public and improving people’s lives amid the economic crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic."

No strategic weapons including intercontinental ballistic missiles were shown at the parade this year.

[Soundbite] Yang Moo-jin(Prof., University of North Korean Studies) : "The absence of SLBMs or provocative rhetoric probably means Pyongyang wants stability on the Korean Peninsula and is deliberating strategies on the U.S. and South Korea."

Kim Jong-un did not address the crowd in a speech however, he gestured an occasional thumbs-up and following the parade, met with senior officials for encouragement.