KB News Desk
North Korea marked the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War armistice with an unusually elaborate Victory Day commemoration that prominently featured leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, while scaling down its military parade, with the focus on Korean War units rather than showcasing advanced weapons.
The events, held Monday to commemorate what Pyongyang refers to as its “victory” in the 1950-53 Korean War, also highlighted North Korea’s growing ties with China through performances honoring the Chinese People’s Volunteers and repeated references to the countries’ wartime alliance.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, Kim attended a commemorative parade at Pyongyang Gymnasium Square alongside senior party, government and military officials and war veterans and diplomats from China and Russia stationed in Pyongyang.
Unlike the large-scale military parades that have often been used to unveil new missiles and other strategic assets, Monday’s ceremony recreated North Korean military units that fought during the Korean War. Participants marched in period uniforms carrying wartime rifles and military flags, while formations represented historical units, including the 2nd Infantry Division led by Kang Kon, the 4th Infantry Division commanded by Kim Chaek, the wartime Interior Ministry, railroad troops, mixed mechanized horse-drawn units and motorcycle units.
The KCNA claimed the reenacted units had achieved “legendary feats” during operations characterized as “liberating Seoul” and Daejeon, reflecting Pyongyang’s longstanding narrative that it won the war.
Modern ground, naval and air force units followed the historical formations, but photographs released by state media showed no intercontinental ballistic missiles, newly developed missiles or other advanced strategic weapons.
The absence of high-profile weaponry suggested the event was intended less as a military demonstration than as a symbolic tribute to what the regime calls the victorious wartime generation, while portraying today’s armed forces as heirs to that legacy.
Defense Minister No Kwang-chol said the parade symbolized the heroic advance of the wartime generation and demonstrated the continuation of North Korea’s “tradition of victory,” pledging that the military would remain at the forefront of building an unprecedentedly powerful state.
Kim later attended a commemorative gala performance accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Ju-ae. Photographs released by the KCNA and the ruling Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed Kim and his daughter standing together at the front of the audience and waving to attendees, while Ri and senior military officials stood behind them.
Ju-ae had accompanied her father a day earlier during a visit to the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery, walking beside him as he paid tribute to soldiers killed during the Korean War.
The repeated appearances marked Ju-ae’s first participation in Victory Day events and further fueled speculation that Pyongyang is steadily raising her public profile as a potential successor.
Although this year’s anniversary was not one of North Korea’s major five- or 10-year commemorative milestones, analysts said the regime’s decision to stage an unusually large-scale celebration appeared aimed at strengthening internal unity while gradually normalizing the prospect of a fourth-generation hereditary succession.
Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the regime appeared to be relying on symbolic public appearances rather than institutional measures to reduce resistance to a female supreme leader in North Korea’s deeply patriarchal society.
The state-run Korean Central Television also aired footage of Kim Jong-un appearing emotional and wiping away tears during the performance. Kim Yeo-jung, head of the personal branding consultancy Jieum & Gideum, said the display reflected an effort to cultivate a more emotionally relatable leadership style that could strengthen internal cohesion and blunt criticism.
The gala also underscored Pyongyang’s increasingly close ties with Beijing. Performers honored the wartime role of the Chinese People’s Volunteers through archival footage and songs, including the Song of the Chinese People’s Volunteers.
A Unification Ministry official, requesting anonymity, said the inclusion of Ju-ae in this year’s Victory Day events, combined with the performances highlighting China’s wartime role and Kim’s visit to a cemetery containing the remains of Chinese soldiers, suggested Pyongyang was seeking to portray its relationship with Beijing as a legacy to be carried forward by the next generation.
Across North Korea, additional Victory Day commemorations included outdoor performances by state arts troupes and floral tributes at the statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on Mansu Hill.
