North Korea stages huge military parade marking

Pyongyang: North Korea held a huge military parade on Saturday afternoon on Kim Il Sung Square here, marking the 70th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

The top leader Kim Jong Un, the first secretary of the WPK and first chairman of the National Defence Commission, appeared on the observation platform amid roaring applaud and cheers from the crowd.

Standing next to him was Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), who arrived here on Friday leading a delegation for an official friendly visit to the North Korea.

Kim and Liu were flanked by senior state and army officials of the country, including Hwang Pyong So, director of the Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army.

In a speech before the march-past, Kim lauded the WPK as a party that is invincible and loves the people, saying the party is the organizer of all victories of the country and always regards it as its objective to serve the people.

He also said the WPK places emphasis on the promising young people, adding that the party is able to always keep its vigour and vitality through the past seven decades because the youth of North Korea fulfill their missions in all sectors of building a prosperous country.

North Korea will be built into a world military heavyweight under the leadership of the WPK, said Kim, who pledged that the country has the confidence to rise up to any war moves the US imperialists want, to defend the country and its people.

Dozens of phalanxes marched through the square, including infantry, cavalry and mechanized units. Kim smiled and saluted massive goose-stepping troops and spectators at the ceremony that was believed to be the largest-ever military parade in North Korea.

A wide array of military hardware composed of tanks, multiple launch rockets and missiles with varying maximum range rolled along the parade route. Planes flew over the reviewing stand, forming a large number of "70."