North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged Wednesday to strengthen his country’s nuclear weapons program before presiding over an evening military parade accompanied by his daughter.
According to state media, about 14,000 troops marched through Kim Il Sung Square in the capital Pyongyang. Fighter planes roared overhead, and rows of soldiers could be seen glistening under floodlights.
Kim’s teenage daughter, widely believed to be named Joo-ae, made another prominent appearance at the parade next to her father. However, despite speculation within South Korea that she could be groomed as a successor, no new official title was announced as the ruling party’s every five years congress draws to a close.
In his closing speech at the convention, Kim emphasized the expansion of the country’s nuclear arsenal. He said it was the party’s “firm will” to strengthen the country’s nuclear forces and increase both the number of weapons and the means of their deployment.
However, most military equipment was conspicuously absent from his parade. There are no processions of tanks, no towering intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), no hypersonic gliders, no transport erector launchers roaring past the camera.
The restraint is notable because the Kim regime frequently uses parades to show off its most threatening weapons, and state propaganda has recently leant toward images of weapons.
Just last week, state media aired footage of Mr. Kim appearing to be behind the wheel of a 600mm multiple rocket launcher that North Korea touts as “nuclear capable” in an impressive formation of dozens of rockets. And just four months ago, North Korea held a huge, rain-soaked military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of its ruling party, showing off what state media called its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other new strategic systems.
North Korea’s 9th Workers’ Party Congress was a near-rubber-stamp political gathering of the country’s elite, which also included personnel changes at the top.
Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s powerful younger sister, solidified her position in the party’s inner circle by being promoted to head of a party department after many years of deputy positions. While some senior positions in the party and military were reorganized and younger supporters promoted, Kim was unanimously “re-elected” as general secretary for another five-year term.
So why was the military display scaled back this time? One practical explanation is timing. Parades are expensive, logistically complex, and often used to announce new or upgraded hardware. Unveiling the same missile immediately after a major commemorative event could blunt the impact of its appearance.
But the broader context suggests something more intentional. North Korea appears to be demonstrating discipline and political control while preserving its strategic influence.
Kim has pledged to increase nuclear arsenals and reiterated plans to strengthen intercontinental ballistic missiles, develop submarine-launching capabilities, and use drones and artificial intelligence.
At the same time, Kim left room for conditional talks with Washington, but only on North Korea’s terms. He said prospects for improved relations depended solely on “the attitude of the United States,” suggesting Washington would need to accept North Korea’s nuclear status and abandon what his administration had long called “hostile policy.”
The timing may be intentional. US President Donald Trump is preparing to visit China from March 31 to April 2, a trip that could reshape regional diplomacy. Some North Korea watchers have speculated that China’s visit could open a small avenue for new dialogue between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, either directly or through Chinese mediation.
It is noteworthy that President Trump did not mention North Korea in his State of the Union address. This was a notable omission, given that he frequently mentioned China during his first term, particularly over his high-profile summit diplomacy with Chairman Kim.
President Trump recognized the 100-year-old Korean War veteran in a speech Wednesday by awarding the Medal of Honor to former fighter pilot Royce Williams to bipartisan applause. Although the speech did not mention contemporary tensions on the peninsula, the eulogy emphasized the war’s lasting legacy.
North Korea’s influence appears to be very different than it was during the summits of the Trump administration’s first term, largely due to deepening ties between Kim and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” agreement in June 2024 that included mutual defense clauses, strengthening what both sides described as a de facto alliance. This relationship has become more significant as North Korea’s role in Russia’s war in Ukraine has become a central part of North Korea’s propaganda.
State media repeatedly showed Kim praising returned North Korean soldiers who fought for Russia and comforting the families of the dead. The ceremonies are often visibly emotional, and Kim is portrayed as a benevolent father figure. Earlier this month, he gave some of those families new apartments.
Against this backdrop, Wednesday’s parade, heavy on troops and light on weapons, may have been deliberately tailored to Mr. Kim’s domestic audience. This time, we focused on unity, loyalty, and responsiveness while keeping the most provocative systems off-camera.
The warning to the adversary still came through. State media quoted Kim as saying that any violation of the country’s sovereignty would trigger immediate retaliatory strikes. A familiar threat arrived as the United States and South Korea announced they would put their own, possibly scaled-down, military exercises back on the calendar next month.
