Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, praised his nation’s “international prestige” as commemorations of the governing party’s 80th anniversary of founding began on Thursday.
High-ranking officials from ally countries such as former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, have been welcomed with open arms by the authoritarian state.
Kim said on Thursday that despite “ferocious political and military pressure” from enemies, North Korea’s “international prestige… as a faithful member of the socialist forces” is increasing daily, KCNA reported.
Among other celebrations, official media photographs feature a smiling Kim greeting foreign dignitaries and an evening of fireworks display.
Leaders from other socialist nations are also in North Korea to commemorate the anniversary of the Workers’ Party, including President Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos and To Lam, chairman of Vietnam’s Communist Party.
According to some analysts, this year’s festivities showcase the expanding diplomatic ties with the heavily sanctioned Pyongyang.
For example, Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told the Korea JoongAng Daily that the attendance of China’s Li “shows goodwill in line with the restoration of North Korea-China ties”.
Li is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s second-in-command, and his presence represents Beijing’s highest-level visit to Pyongyang since the latter’s state visit in 2019.
At China’s biggest-ever military display commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s official surrender at the conclusion of World War 2 last month, Kim stood side by side with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing’s famed Tiananmen Square.
It was also Kim’s first time attending a global conference of world leaders.
With North Korea sending about 15,000 troops to support Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, Kim’s ties with Putin have been widely reported. Pyongyang and Moscow inked an agreement in 2024 promising to support one another in the case of “aggression” against either nation.
Meanwhile, Russian ballet dancers and vocalists performed in North Korea’s anniversary concert in May Stadium on Thursday.
Similar to how the reclusive and secretive nation has handled important events in the past, North Korea has kept celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea under wraps. The nation is likely to display its most recent arsenal of missiles and military weapons in a nighttime parade in Pyongyang on Friday.
North Korea’s new Hwasong-11 Ma hypersonic glide vehicle, its next-generation Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and other cutting-edge weapons may be on display, according to analysts.