According to Voice of America (VOA), groups believed to be troops were spotted one after another at a military parade training ground near the Mirim Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea. According to the analysis of satellite images from the American private satellite company Planet Labs, crowds marked with dots on the site began to appear on the 23rd and continued until the 27th.
VOA reported that considering the poor weather in Pyongyang over the past month, which made observation difficult, the crowd’s movement on the site could have been even more frequent. This is because there are predictions that North Korea will hold a military parade before and after the general elections in April. There are occasions such as Kim Il Sung’s birthday on April 15 and the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army on April 25, and there is a high possibility of holding a military parade on these occasions. However, since it took 2-3 months to prepare for the parade last year, it is also pointed out that the possibility of holding it in time for the general elections is slim as the preparation for the parade is still in the initial stage.
In the meantime, if North Korea holds a military parade, revealing new weapons will also be a focus. In the parade marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War last year, the latest drones, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and “nuclear torpedoes” appeared. At that time, the parade featured the Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, and unmanned attack aircraft flying over the parade square. Four attack drones were spotted moving on vehicles.
The North Korean state-run media, Korea Central News Agency, mentioned the drones, saying, “The strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and multi-purpose attack drone, which were newly developed and produced to our air force, flew over the parade square to congratulate the victory and glory of North Korea and the joy of the people celebrating the 7.27 (Victory Day) from generation to generation.”
The “congratulating drones” mentioned in the report are similar to the high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, RQ-4 Global Hawk, of the United States, including the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned attack aircraft. Among them, the “North Korean version of Global Hawk” was similar in shape to the RQ-4, which the South Korean Air Force is operating four introduced from the United States. In conjunction with the previous parade, there is a high possibility of revealing new cruise missiles this time. Last month, it showed a new ground-to-ship missile, the Padasuri-6, and launched cruise missiles more than five times.
Recently, military authorities also reported that North Korea is installing a cover at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Dongchang-ri, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, in conjunction with the parade, showing signs of an additional military reconnaissance satellite launch.
Previously, North Korea installed a cover before launching an artificial satellite loaded on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class booster, and recently, a cover was installed at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. Usually, a cover installed on a launch pad is interpreted as a sign of an imminent launch. A South Korean military official also said, “Since Kim Jong Un declared that he would launch a reconnaissance satellite three times this year, it is expected that he might launch it in April, but it is difficult to determine the launch timing precisely.”
North Korea had reported prior notice to Japan, the coordinating country of the navigation area where South Korea and North Korea belong based on the World-Wide Navigational Warning Service (WWNWS), each time it launched an artificial satellite.
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