North Korea held a pre-event celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party (Friday) on the night of Thursday at the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, though the possibility of a large-scale military parade remains uncertain.
Singaporean photographer Aram Pan shared photos and videos from the anniversary eve event on his Instagram account, DPRK360.
Pan reported that he attended a mass games performance and an artistic show commemorating the Workers’ Party’s 80th anniversary, revealing that he had been invited to Pyongyang as part of a foreign delegation. For over a decade, Pan has played a pivotal role in showcasing North Korea’s major tourist attractions to the world through his photography.
He also posted footage capturing Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, entering the May Day Stadium to observe the commemorative event.
The fact that the main celebration was held at the May Day Stadium on Rungrado, rather than at Kim Il Sung Square where military parades are typically held, suggests that the anticipated midnight parade may not have taken place as expected at midnight on Friday. Logistically, it would have been challenging to move the massive crowd of about 100,000 attendees and foreign guests from the May Day Stadium to Kim Il Sung Square in a timely manner.
Some analysts speculate that, given the presence of high-ranking foreign dignitaries from China, Russia, and Vietnam in Pyongyang, the regime might opt for a daytime military parade on Friday instead of a nighttime event.