NORTH Korea staged a huge military parade yesterday to mark its 70th anniversary as a nation.
But the country held back most of its missiles and devoted nearly half of the parade to civilian efforts to build the domestic economy, honouring nurses, construction workers, students and others.
Leader Kim Jong Un attended the parade but did not address the crowd, which included the head of the Chinese parliament and delegations from countries that have friendly ties with the North.
Senior statesman Kim Yong Nam, the head of North Korea’s parliament, set the relatively softer tone for the event with a speech emphasising the economic goals of the regime, not its nuclear might.
This year’s celebrations also mark the revival of North Korea’s iconic mass games after a five-year hiatus.
The mass games involve tens of thousands of people holding up placards or dancing in precise unison and are intended to be a display of national unity.
This year’s spectacle – tickets start at just over 100 dollars (£77) and go up to more than 800 dollars (£620) per seat – also has a strong economic theme.
The “new line” of putting economic development first has been Kim’s top priority this year.
He claims to have perfected his nuclear arsenal enough to deter US aggression and devote his resources to raising the nation’s standard of living.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here