Military parades in North Korea

The first parade of Korean People's Army took place on Military Foundation Day in 1948.[5] It took place at Pyongyang Station in the presence of Soviet generals from the 25th Army and Soviet Civil Administration. It included the participation of about 20,000 North Korean soldiers who stood at attention during the first part of the parade in which Premier Kim Il Sung presided as commander in chief.

It celebrated the KPA's ruby jubilee.[5] Unlike the first parade, this parade included more diverse contingents of troops, particularly motorized infantry.[6] According to a later defector from the Pyongyang Defense Command, a female officer collapsed after her appendix burst following the parade, to which she was "praised" by her superiors for having concealed it.[7]

In 1992, the KPA's diamond jubilee parade was held.[8] It saw the participation of over 20,000 active troops and 1,200 pieces of weaponry, as well veterans of all wars in which the DPRK was a participant.[9] During the parade, KPA Supreme Commander Kim Jong-il made his first public speech during a military parade for the KPA's 60th anniversary and said:[10] "Glory to the officers and soldiers of the heroic Korean People's Army!",[11][5] which was followed by a loud applause by the crowd on the square. It was the last parade to include the Soviet-style goose step.

The parade celebrates the 75th anniversary of the KPA.[12] General Kim Kyok-sik, the then defence chief of the DPRK, gave the keynote address.[13] The broadcast was delayed by three hours, with speculation by experts that this was due to Kim Jong Il's absence.[14]

The parade celebrated the 81st anniversary of the KPA.[15][16] It was one of the only times a parade was held on a non-jubilee year; the parade that was planned for the previous year was cancelled due to the preparations for the parade on the 100th anniversary of Kim Il Sung that was held ten days prior to the planned parade.[17] It was the first to be held on the forecourt of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun. Military hardware was not displayed during the parade.[18] Speeches were delivered by commanders of the different branches of the KPA, during which they spoke of the military readiness of their branches.[19]

In 2018, the platinum jubilee anniversary of the founding of the KPA in its current form took place on 8 February that year.[20] It was speculated that this parade, which was the first since the holiday was changed back to 8 February,[21] was held deliberately to coincide with the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Pyeongchang County, South Korea, during which North Korean and South Korean athletes marched together in the parade of nations.[22] The parade included 13,000 soldiers of the KPA.[23]

The parade celebrated the 40th anniversary of the republic.[24] A Polish film named Defilada (The Parade) was published in 1989 by Andrzej Fidyk, who was sent by the government of the Polish People's Republic to create a documentary on the parade as well as the larger 40th anniversary celebrations.[25] Chinese President Yang Shangkun as well as Bulgarian Premier Georgi Atanasov were in attendance.[26][27]

It celebrated the golden jubilee of the DPRK's establishment.[28][29] The massed bands included a tri-service element which included military bands from all the branches.[30][31]

It celebrated the 55th anniversary of independence.[30][12] It was the largest parade seen in the country in over a decade.[32] Contrary to what was speculated, the hour and a half parade did not feature any new missiles.[33] Only medium range missiles were displayed in the hardware section.[34] The parade was the last appearance of Pak Song-chol, Premier of North Korea from 1976 to 1977.[35]

It celebrated the diamond jubilee of the foundation of the republic.[36][30][12] It was noted for the absence of Chairman Kim Jong Il, which caused speculation on his state of health.[37] Many intelligence agencies in the United States believed Kim might be "gravely ill" after suffering from a stroke, which caused his absence from the parade.[38] Only the Worker-Peasant Red Guards took part, providing personnel and equipment for the marchpast and the mobile column.

It celebrated the 63rd anniversary of independence. It marked one of the last appearances by Kim Jong Il and his successor Kim Jong Un together.[39] The parade followed the former's return from a state visit to Russia.[40] Just like in 2008, the Worker-Peasant Red Guards made up the majority of the parading units.

The parade parked the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the republic.[30][41][42][43]

In 2018, North Korea marked the 70th anniversary of its foundation. The parade was inspected by Vice Marshal Ri Yong-gil[44] and saw the introduction of new camouflage inspection vehicles.[45] It also saw the rare refrain from displaying intercontinental ballistic missiles.[46] Russian Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matviyenko and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, as well as delegations from Cuba, Syria, Lebanon, the State of Palestine, Uganda, and South Africa were in attendance during the celebrations.[47] General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping was expected to attend the parade during his state visit to North Korea on 9 September, but cancelled his attendance, instead sending Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.[48][49][50] American President Donald Trump displayed the parade as an accomplishments in the Korean peace process, noting the lack of ICBM that were paraded.

Celebrated the 50th anniversary of the WPK.[51][52] The parade was the first of its kind held in the country. It was the first parade presided by Kim Jong Il as leader of the country.[53] Defence minister Choe Kwang delivered the keynote address at the ceremony.[54]

Celebrated the 55th anniversary of the WPK.

It celebrated the 60th anniversary of the WPK.[55][56]

Celebrated the 65th anniversary of the WPK. It was the first time Kim Jong Il's successor Kim Jong Un had appeared at a military parade.[57] This appearance came two weeks after Kim was made Kim Jong-un was made a daejang (four-star general) and was appointed Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea.[58][59] This was seen as an sign of Kim's future as the next leader of the country. This was the first parade to allow full international press access, an uprecedented decision.[60] Chief of the General Staff Ri Yong-ho gave the keynote speech.[61] It displayed new surface-to-air missiles that resembled the S-300 and the HQ-9.[62] The central chant of the parade was: "Kim Jong Il! Protect him to the death! Kim Jong Il, let's unite to support him!"[63] It was the last time the Mercedes-Benz 600 was used in a military parade.[64]

The parade marked the 70th anniversary of the WPK.[65] It was delayed for several hours due to thumderstorms that took place the night before.[66] The parade did not feature any new weapons such as UAVs ad ballistic missiles.[67] Chinese First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Liu Yunshan was in attendance.[68] It also preceded the announcement of the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The 1949 Liberation day parade was the first parade held since the DPRK's establishment.[69] Held at Pyongyang Station, it celebrated the 4th liberation anniversary. A parade was held again in 1953 after the end of the Korean War, and then conducted every year until 1960. The 1960 parade celebrated the 15th anniversary of liberation.[70] It was the last parade to be held until 1985.[8][71][72]

The parade was part of country's 40th anniversary of liberation ceremonies. It attendance was First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union and future President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev.[73] A recently created North Korean Koksan self-propelled gun was unveiled at the parade.[74] Other notable attendees included O Chin-u, Kim Jong Il, Marshal Vasily Petrov (Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Army).[75][76]

This parade celebrated the ruby jubilee of the Korean armistice.[77][78] It was the first one of its kind held in its honor and the only one held for 20 years.[79]

It celebrated the diamond jubilee since the armistice.[80][12] It was attended by representatives of veterans groups from China and the DPRK, with Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao attending on behalf of Hu Jintao. It was also attended by Chinese volunteers who fought on the side of the DPRK as part of People's Volunteer Army.[81]

Outside of Vice President Li, attending dignitaries included the following:[82]

• Former PLA Air Force commander Yu Zhenwu
• Mongolian Vice Minister of Defense Avirmed Battor
• Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Sayed Hamidreza Tabatabaei
• Vice President of Uganda Edward Ssekandi
• Vice President of Zambia Guy Scott
• Syrian Ba'ath Party deputy leader Abdullah al-Ahmar

Politburo member U Tong-chuk appeared at the parade after a 17-month absence.[83] Choe Ryong-hae, the director of the KPA General Political Bureau delivered the keynote address, saying that "a peaceful environment is important for the country that gives priority to economic construction and improvement of the lives of our people".[84] American-made MD Helicopters MD 500 were unveiled during the parade.

For the first time ever, the parade of 2002 marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung and this was the very first Day of the Sun parade ever to be organized in the 21st century. It was primarly a civil-military parade with the absence of the mobile column.

2012 marked the 70th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il.[85][86] It was the first one of its nature held as the holiday was only eleveted to the status of a national holiday following the death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il. It was the first parade during which Kim Jong Un attended in the position of Supreme Leader of North Korea, and was held at the forecourt of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.

2012 marked the centenary of the birth of Kim Il-sung. On the Day of the Sun that year, current leader Kim Jong-un gave his first public speech.[87][88][89] The KPA introduced the new KN-08 missile was in a parade. It also presented its UAVs for the first time during this parade.[90] BBC reporter John Sudworth described the parade as one where "he could feel the ground shake as soldiers and rockets passed by".[91] Markus Schiller, a weapons analyst, expressed his surprise with an ICBM's appearance, noting that most technology seen before were "one quarter of the size".[92] Chairman Kim's 20-minute address was his first speech since assuming the leadership.[93] Officially published under the title of, Let Us March Forward Dynamically Towards Final Victory, Holding Higher the Banner of Songun, it was the basis of for the writing of the song, Onwards Toward the Final Victory.[94][95]

In 2017, the parade celebrated the 105th anniversary of the birth of the Kim Il Sung. During the parade, a new unit of Korean People's Army Special Operation Force wearing modern combat gear, including night-vision goggles and plate carriers, marched along with elements of the Korean People's Army in a parade on the 105th anniversary of the birth of the founder of North Korea Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang. Korean Central Television compared the new unit to the U.S. Navy SEALs and they described it with the name Lightning Commandos.[96][97][98][99] The Pukkuksong-2 and the Hwasong-12 were unveiled at the parade.[100]

A special parade was held outside of Pyongyang for the first time on 6 June 1972 in the northeastern border city of Hyesan, Ryanggang Province. It commermorated the 35th anniversary of the Battle of Pochonbo, during which the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, backed by the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, defeated a Japanese detachment based in Pochon County. The parade was attended by President Kim Il Sung and was officiated by the party secretary for the province. Yi Yong-mu, a member of the Central Committee and later Director General of the General Political Bureau delivered a speech at the parade on Hyesan Square.[101]