Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missiles were nowhere to be seen at the parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s founding, a signal to the US that the detente ball is in its court
North Korean military parades are a grand affair and, in recent years, were of great interest to analysts who studied the short, medium, and intercontinental ballistic missiles on show to gauge its advances in nuclear capability.
That era appears to have come to a close. While the weekend’s military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the country’s founding included a considerable range of military systems, it was notable for the complete exclusion of any nuclear-capable systems.
The most obvious explanation for Pyongyang’s decision is that the ongoing diplomatic processes between North Korea and South Korea and North Korea and the United States would have been harmed by the blatant display of these systems.
After all, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has twice this year put his name to documents promising to work toward the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”. While that phrase doesn’t entail his complete and unilateral disarmament in the short-term, parading nuclear-capable missiles might have made that commitment more than just a little hollow.
But the inclusion of several colourful floats with optimistic economic slogans at this year’s foundation day parade points to another important motivation behind the display. The parade underlined Kim’s decision in April to focus North Korea’s efforts on revitalising the economy – and not its nuclear programme.
From 2013, North Korea followed its byungjin policy, the simultaneous pursuit of a nuclear deterrent and economic prosperity.
