South Korean media have reported that North Korea staged a paramilitary parade in central Pyongyang at the stroke of midnight Saturday. Saturday marks the 75th anniversary of North Korea's founding.
Yonhap News Agency has reported that members of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards, not the national military, took part in the parade in Kim Il Sung Square. It says the parade did not appear to feature strategic weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles. The paramilitary group last conducted a parade in 2021.
The news outlet also reported a delegation led by China's Vice Premier Liu Guozhong is believed to have attended celebrations. Sources say a Russian band was also invited.
The events are believed to showcase the unity of the three nations as a counterforce to the US and its allies.
Yonhap also said details of the event, including whether North Korean leader Kim John Un delivered a speech, were not immediately known.
This is the third military-style parade in North Korea this year, including one staged by the national army. There was a parade in July to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.
Prior to Saturday's event, state-run television repeatedly aired a launching ceremony for a tactical nuclear attack submarine attended by Kim Jong Un on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Kim is reportedly set to travel to Russia for the first time in four years to meet with President Vladimir Putin. There's concern the two leaders might discuss a deal that would give the North Russian aid in developing satellite and nuclear-powered submarine technologies in exchange for armaments.