North Korea Showcases Military Might at Workers' Party 80th Anniversary Parade with International Allies Present

Kim Jong Un attended a rally celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

North Korea conducted a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party, with distinguished foreign delegates in attendance, according to state media reports on Saturday.

"A grand military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea was held at Kim Il Sung Square on October 10," announced Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.

The parade showcased some of the isolated, nuclear-armed nation's most advanced weaponry, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), as reported by KCNA.

This event occurs as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has gained confidence from the Ukraine conflict, receiving crucial backing from Russia after deploying thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Moscow's forces.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is heading Beijing's delegation at this week's anniversary celebrations, while Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, also joined the festivities in Pyongyang.

Last month, Kim appeared with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin at an elaborate military parade in Beijing.

The Pyongyang celebrations follow Seoul's statement that a meeting between North Korea and the United States "cannot be ruled out" on the sidelines of this year's APEC summit in South Korea.

US President Donald Trump met with Kim three times during his first term and once notably claimed the pair had fallen "in love," but ultimately failed to secure a lasting agreement regarding North Korea's nuclear program.

Since then, Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state.

In a joint statement from Moscow and Pyongyang released by KCNA earlier this week, Russia's ruling party "expressed firm support for the measures taken" by North Korea "to bolster up the country's defence capabilities."