[Yonhap Photo]
SEOUL -- A North Korean military parade next month will probably be larger than a previous one held in February, but recent satellite imagery showed strategic weapons like ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launchers were absent, according to 38 North, the website of a U.S. research institute.
Given the pace of its build-up and training, the parade to mark the 70th anniversary of North Korea's founding on September 9 will probably match or surpass the size of the previous one held on February 8 to mark the founding day of its armed forces, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., a US missile expert, said in his analysis published by 38 North.
North Korea kept the February event low-key in an apparent attempt to keep alive an inter-Korean thaw created by its participation in the Winter Olympics held in South Korea. South Korean military officials said the parade was curtailed both in length and program from previous ones.
Imagery from August 12 shows a high level of activity throughout the Mirim training ground in Pyongyang, including the presence of some 500 trucks, the erection of a small tent city to house and feed troops, groupings of troops in parade formation moving along the roads and the expansion of storage shelters, Bermudez said.
The number of shelters used in the past to house ballistic missile and UAV launchers, tanks, large artillery pieces and other heavy equipment appears "slightly larger" than what was used in the February parade, and there are at least 10 pieces of equipment including several tanks or artillery pieces in front of their respective shelters, he said.
"There are no ballistic missile or UAV launchers as of the date of this image," Bermudez said.
South and North Korean leaders will hold the third summit in September in Pyongyang amid concerns about the delayed implementation of peace accords signed at the first summit in April. The exact date was not disclosed, but South Korea officials said the third summit is not possible before September 10 due to Pyongyang's internal political events.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
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