North Korea on Wednesday marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of its army, with the possibility of a military parade featuring intercontinental ballistic missiles being staged in the capital Pyongyang.
Whether leader Kim Jong Un will make a speech on the anniversary of the Korean People's Army has drawn attention from neighboring countries.
NK News, a website that provides news and analysis on North Korea, reported late last month that thousands of civilians in Pyongyang had been engaged in a practice event for a military parade, based on its analysis of satellite imagery.
North Korea last staged a huge military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square in April last year to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, the predecessor of the present army.
On that occasion, Kim vowed to bolster the country's development of nuclear weapons at a faster pace and use them if its fundamental interests are threatened.
On Monday, North Korea discussed how to expand and intensify combat drills for the "perfecting" of its war preparedness in a meeting guided by Kim, according to state-run media.
Kim's presence at the meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea marked his first public activity reported by the official Korean Central News Agency since Jan. 2.
