North Korea is stepping up preparations for a military parade that could come as soon as next week, ratcheting up tensions after a January barrage of missile tests forced Kim Jong Un’s nuclear arsenal back on the agenda of U.S. President Joe Biden's administration.
Commercial satellite imagery of North Korea’s parade training ground taken last weekend showed several hundred personnel in formation, likely signaling a forthcoming celebration, U.S.-based specialist service 38 North reported. In a separate report from NK News, information from satellite imagery and informed sources on the ground in Pyongyang indicated plans to hold a parade for one or more upcoming holidays.
Two big events on the North Korean calendar are the Feb. 16 holiday for what would have been the 80th birthday of former leader Kim Jong Il, and the April 15 holiday to mark what would have been the 110th birthday of state founder Kim Il Sung.