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Theater: North Korea to hold military parade eve of Olympics
 [Novosti - Russia] A thaw in relations between North and South Koreas began earlier this month, with the two nations reopening a hotline to discuss the participation of DPRK athletes in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.Despite an Olympic thaw between Pyongyang and Seoul, North Korea is planning to hold a military parade on the eve of the world's most well-recognized sporting competition, Yonhap News Agency of South Korea said Thursday, citing an unidentified South Korean government source. "We believe the North will hold a military parade on February 8th to mark the anniversary of the birth of its regular forces," the source was quoted as saying, adding that the parade would involve some 12,000 soldiers, artillery pieces and other weapons. At the same time, the South Korean defense ministry spokesman refused to comment on "any matters of military intelligence." North Korea has been holding military parades to mark a variety of events. In April, 2017, Pyongyang staged a large event, commemorating the 105th anniversary of the North's founder and showcasing the country's weaponry, featuring what appeared to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Apart from proposing to take part in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang during his new year speech, Kim Jong-un unveiled plans to "organize combat drills like real battles" during the current year to mark the army's 70th anniversary. Posted by: 3dc 2018-01-18 |
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