On Wednesday evening, North Korea staged a grandiose military parade in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square to mark the conclusion of the 9th Workers’ Party Congress. In his address, Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, declared that its armed forces stand ready for any contingency, and warned that it will unleash immediate and devastating retaliation against any military provocation by hostile forces. Notably, the parade did not showcase any of North Korea’s strategic weapons, including its vaunted nuclear missiles.
The Rodong Sinmun, the Workers’ Party’s official mouthpiece, devoted pages 9 through 12 of its February 26 edition to provide comprehensive coverage of the parade, framing it as the inaugural military display of the party congress’s achievements.
General Secretary Kim observed the parade from the reviewing stand, flanked by the newly elected leadership of the party’s Central Military Commission. His daughter, Ju Ae, was also spotted at the event, making her first public appearance since the official proceedings of the congress, which ran February 19 to 25.
In his speech, Kim proclaimed that this grand ceremony commemorates the 9th Party Congress, adding that today’s parade will proudly showcase the hard-won victories and demonstrate the resolve for a great new chapter in the history.
Footage released by Korean Central Television revealed that the pre-parade ceremony alone lasted approximately two hours. At Kim Il Sung Square, military bands from various service branches performed, while airborne troops executed a spectacular aerial display, forming a star shape as they descended in illuminated suits, heightening the festive atmosphere.
The air force also put on a dazzling air show. While North Korea typically conducts pre-parade ceremonies for about an hour in a relatively somber manner, this parade was marked by an overall festive ambiance, departing from previous norms.
The parade featured over 50 marching columns, including honor guards and units representing various military branches and specialties. With each formation reportedly comprising about 300 personnel, analysts estimate that approximately 15,000 troops participated in the event.
The parade introduced units that were absent from last October’s party founding day parade, including electronic warfare units, medical and nursing corps, airborne divisions, and logistics units.
During his report summarizing the party congress on February 20 and 21, Kim directed the development and deployment of powerful electronic warfare systems capable of paralyzing enemy command and control, as well as assets to target enemy satellites in case of conflict, all within the next five years before the next party congress. The electronic warfare units are presumed to be responsible for this advanced electronic warfare capability. Intelligence suggests that North Korea is accelerating its military modernization efforts, incorporating lessons from the Ukraine conflict, and has recently established a specialized drone unit.
Unlike the parade held last October to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the party’s founding, this event did not showcase strategic weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). Instead, the focus was on the elaborate pre-parade ceremonies and troop formations, emphasizing the political significance of the party congress and reinforcing internal cohesion.