Military parade held on armistice anniversary

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea held a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement at Kim Il-sung Square on Thursday, state media reported on Friday.

A parade flight of the air force began over the square, which is overflowing with joy and festivities, the official Korean Central News Agency said. The flight column in the formation of a five-pointed star and the figure "70" flew across the sky above the square.

Kim Jong-un, top leader of the DPRK, was in attendance and he extended his greetings to the parade, the state media said, and Pyongyang's Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam made a speech.

He said it is "a great auspicious event" for the DPRK people to hold a military parade for "celebrating the war victory day" and the country will keep prospering in future.

He warned that any attempts by the United States to use armed force against the DPRK would cause an unimaginable and unforeseen crisis, Agence France-Presse reported.

During the parade, the DPRK showcased advanced drones and long-range missiles, including liquid-propellant Hwasong-17 ICBMs and solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBMs. Pyongyang fired a Hwasong-18 ICBM earlier this month following its first test in April.

A Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and a Chinese group led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, also attended the parade.

The country's last parade was held in February to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces.

The Korean War came to a ceasefire on July 27, 1953, when the Armistice Agreement was signed in Panmunjom on the border of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea. But the war is not officially over because no peace treaty has ever been signed.