N.Korea to Mobilize 50,000 People for Military Parade

North Korea is to mobilize at least 50,000 people for a massive military parade in Pyongyang on Feb. 8, the eve of the opening of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

According to military sources on Monday, around 12,000 soldiers have already converged in an airport in the North Korean capital along with various weapons and combat equipment.

The source said since this year marks the 70th anniversary of the North Korean military, it is expected to put on an especially grand show, mobilizing "at least 50,000 soldiers and civilians."

The biggest military parade North Korea staged so far was on Oct. 10, 2015 for the 70th anniversary of the Workers Party, when around 20,000 troops and some 10,000 civilians gathered in the center of Pyongyang.

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Roh Jae-chun told reporters the parade "is expected to resemble last year's ceremony on April 15."

That marked the 105th birthday of North Korean nation founder Kim Il-sung, and the regime unveiled its three latest intercontinental ballistic missiles.