North Korea celebrated the 75th anniversary of its army with a massive military parade on Wednesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il inspected a parade that featured a battery of missiles for the first time in 15 years.
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A video grab shows missiles being paraded in central Pyongyang on Wednesday, the 75th birthday of the People¡¯s Army./REUTERS
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Forty-eight missiles of four kinds were spotted in recorded video footage aired by North Korea¡¯s official Korean Central Television Station. But no tanks and armored trucks were on display. North Korea unveiled a newly developed missile codenamed KN-02 with a range of 120 km in the ceremony. But the ballistic Taepodong-2, which fizzled during last year¡¯s missile test, was reportedly missing among the displayed missiles. North Korea did not include missiles in the parades for the army¡¯s 65th and 70th birthday in 1997 and 2002. The military parade to commemorate the establishment of the Workers¡¯ Party in 2005 was also missile-free.
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A Korean Central News Agency photo released by Korea News Service in Tokyo shows North Korean female sailors march during a massive military parade at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Wednesday, the 75th anniversary of the People's Army. /AP
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According to KCTV, a band opened the ceremony by playing a song dedicated to the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung at Kim Il-sung Square at 10 a.m. The present leader Kim Jong-il took the salute, and a speech was delivered by Kim Kyok-sik, a former general who was promoted to chief of general staff of the army. In the speech, Kim vowed to defeat any enemies who violate the nation¡¯s independence and to accomplish the unification of the two Koreas, saying the threat of a war on the Korean Peninsula remains as the ¡°imperialist U.S.¡± continues ¡°schemes to stifle the nation.¡±
The ceremony was attended by top officials like President of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong-nam, Prime Minister Kim Yong-il, and generals Kim Il-cheol and Rhee Yong-mu. Jo Myong-rok, the first vice chairman of North Korea's National Defense Commission (NDC), also appeared in the celebrations, refuting recent rumors that he is critically ill.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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