[Photo News] North Korea celebrates 70th anniversary

North Korea on Sunday staged a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s foundation.

The parade was attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy Li Zhanshu. It reportedly started around 10 a.m. and finished before noon.

North Korean soldiers march with a float showing late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung during a parade for the 70th anniversary of North Korea`s founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. North Korea staged a major military parade, huge rallies and will revive its iconic mass games on Sunday to mark its 70th anniversary as a nation. (AP)

(AP)

Participants wave flowers as they march past a balcony from where North Korea`s leader Kim Jong Un was watching, during a mass rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang on September 9, 2018. - North Korea held a military parade to mark its 70th birthday, but refrained from showing off the intercontinental ballistic missiles that have seen it hit with multiple international sanctions. (AFP)

(AFP)

Korean People`s Army (KPA) soldiers stand in formation prior to a military parade and mass rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang on September 9, 2018. (AFP)

Unlike the military parades conducted in previous years, the North did not display any intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to media reports. Kim also did not make any speech at the event.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, raises his hands as he waves with China`s third highest ranking official, Li Zhanshu, at left during a parade for the 70th anniversary of North Korea`s founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. (AP)

Korean People`s Army (KPA) soldiers salute as they watch a mass rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang on September 9, 2018. (AFP)

On Saturday night, North Korea held a gala event at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium to showcase its achievements. The country’s top musical ensembles including the State Merited Chorus army choir, the Samjiyon Orchestra and the Mansudae Art Troupe staged performances in front of the country’s senior officials, foreign guests and soldiers.

People attend a concert on the eve of 70th anniversary of North Korea`s foundation in Pyongyang, September 8, 2018. (REUTERS)

Performers sings during a concert on the eve of 70th anniversary of North Korea`s foundation in Pyongyang, September 8, 2018. (REUTERS)

North Koreans military cadets attend an evening gala held on the eve of the 70th anniversary of North Korea`s founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. (AP)

Audience members watch as performers take part in a concert at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on September 8, 2018. (AFP)

Toddlers sing at a kindergarten for farmer`s children employed at a cooperative farm during a government organised visit for foreign reporters ahead of 70th anniversary of North Korea`s foundation in Pyongyang, September 8, 2018. (REUTERS)

(REUTERS)

Written by Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)