North Korea is preparing to stage a major military parade on the opening night of its Winter Games in its southern neighbor next month, despite a rare consensus with Seoul, media reported on Thursday.
Pyongyang, which has raised major international concern by continuing nuclear and missile tests in recent months, has agreed to send athletes to the Games and walk under a single flag at the opening of the Games in Pyongyang from Feb. 9 to 25.
But Pyongyang has also vowed to press ahead with the 70th anniversary of its military, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. The North plans to hold a massive parade on February 8, the eve of the opening of the Games in the south.
Yonhap quoted an unnamed South Korean government source as saying that 12,000 soldiers and a detachment of artillery and other weapons would participate in the parade to be held near Pyongyang.
“We believe that the North will make a military parade on February 8 to mark the anniversary of the founding of its regular forces,” the source said.
A South Korean defense ministry spokesman said the ministry would not comment on “any matters related to military intelligence.”
North Korea has been holding numerous military shows on multiple occasions, but its timing varies from year to year.
In 2017, the Kim Jong-un regime staged a massive military parade that included a review of multiple weapons, including what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile on April 15, marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of North Korea’s founder.
Kim tested several ballistic missiles and conducted a nuclear test last year. Kim said his country was planning big celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the military in his speech for the year 2018.
Kim asked the army to “organize military exercises like real battles.”
North and South Korea agreed Wednesday to join a united delegation at the opening of the Winter Olympic Games. They also announced that one team (women’s hockey) would participate in the competition.
South Korea has announced the opening of a second arrival hall at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, which will double the passenger capacity three weeks before the Olympics.
The Olympic Games are expected to attract 300,000 tourists and the new lounge is expected to allow 18 million passengers a year.
A high-speed rail link will link the new terminal with Pyongchang, where the Olympic Games are held.
The construction of the new terminal took nine years at a cost of $ 4.6 billion. It is the first major airport expansion since it opened in 2001.
Last year, 62 million passengers and 2.9 million tonnes of cargo through the airport terminal already made it one of the world’s 20 most crowded airports.