IRIA News

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea with a high-profile military parade and celebrations that underscored his growing alignment with China and Russia amid shifting global power dynamics.

The events, attended by senior officials from China, Russia, and Vietnam, highlighted North Korea’s bid to project unity with its major allies while reinforcing Kim’s own leadership narrative at home.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam were among the most prominent figures to arrive in Pyongyang for the anniversary celebrations.

Li was greeted with a guard of honor at Pyongyang’s airport, where he emphasized the “profound traditional friendship” between the two socialist neighbors. China’s foreign ministry said the visit would “deepen strategic communication and cooperation” between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Vietnam’s To Lam, on his first visit to North Korea as party chief, attended a welcoming ceremony at a Pyongyang sports center. The Vietnam News Agency reported that cooperation agreements were expected to be signed during the visit, marking the first such engagement by a Vietnamese Communist Party leader in nearly two decades.

North Korea and Russia ’s Growing Partnership

Medvedev led a Russian delegation that included Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov and the governor of Russia’s Kursk region. According to Russian media, the two sides issued a joint statement during the visit in which North Korea expressed full support for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. In turn, Moscow thanked Pyongyang for its “assistance” to the Kursk region.

“Friends are together, enemies are nervous,” Medvedev wrote in a post on the Russian state-backed MAX messenger app. His visit follows the 2024 strategic partnership agreement between the two nations, which pledged mutual military support in the event of external attack.

The renewed relationship reflects deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, which have exchanged arms, ammunition, food, and fuel in defiance of international sanctions. Western officials have accused North Korea of supplying artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, claims both sides deny.

New Hypersonic and ICBM Systems Unveiled

The anniversary was marked with a massive parade in central Pyongyang featuring tens of thousands of troops and the country’s expanding arsenal of ballistic missiles and other advanced weaponry.

North Korea showcased its latest advancements in missile technology during a military parade, revealing new hypersonic and intercontinental ballistic missiles that highlight Pyongyang’s growing military sophistication and its tightening defense ties with Moscow and Beijing.

Among the most notable displays were the Hwasong-11Ma hypersonic glide vehicle and the Hwasong-20 ICBM, which state media described as the country’s “most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system.”

The new 11Ma, modeled on Russia’s Iskander short-range ballistic missile, features a maneuverable hypersonic warhead mounted on a boost-glide vehicle, a design that allows it to alter course midflight while traveling at more than five times the speed of sound. This makes interception by missile defense systems far more difficult.

The unveiling of these systems comes shortly after Kim Jong Un visited Beijing, where he appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Analysts see the timing as symbolic, underscoring how North Korea’s recent military progress may have benefited from Russian experience in Ukraine and from renewed Chinese diplomatic backing.

The Hwasong-20 ICBM, carried atop an 11-axle transporter, is believed to use a solid-fuel engine, a feature that allows for quicker launch preparation compared to liquid-fueled predecessors. The same engine, made of carbon fiber composite materials, has reportedly been tested multiple times on the ground and is also intended for use in the Hwasong-19 ICBM, which experts say can reach the continental United States.

As the new missile formations rolled through Kim Il Sung Square, crowds erupted in cheers. “The spectators broke into the most enthusiastic cheers when the column of Hwasong-20 ICBMs, the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system of the DPRK, entered the square,” KCNA reported.

The display was both a domestic demonstration of strength and an international signal that Pyongyang’s partnership with China and Russia is deepening, militarily, politically, and strategically.

Kim’s Speech and Party Legacy

In a speech at the Party Founding Museum in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un praised the “sacred history” of the Workers’ Party and its “revolutionary forerunners” who laid the foundation of the state.

“The 80-year history of our Party is an expression of a sublime tribute our generation pays to the great Party-founding generation who brought about an epochal change in shaping the destiny of our country and people,” Kim said, according to North Korean state media KCNA.

Kim paid tribute to his grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung and his father Kim Jong Il, crediting them with building “a genuine people’s country with absolute prestige and national strength.”

He called on party members to renew their “revolutionary obligations and duties” to complete the socialist cause begun by their predecessors, and vowed to preserve the ideological purity of the ruling party “without decrepitude and discoloration.”

Observers say the war in Ukraine and the broader U.S.-China rivalry have accelerated North Korea’s value as a strategic partner for both Moscow and Beijing.

By tightening ties with Russia and China, Pyongyang has been able to soften the impact of international sanctions and secure economic and logistical support. U.S. and South Korean intelligence assessments suggest China has eased enforcement of UN sanctions, while Russia has offered direct material aid in return for weapons shipments.

The triangular cooperation has raised concern in Washington and Seoul, where officials warn that the deepening alliance could embolden North Korea’s military ambitions.

Nuclear Ambitions

North Korea’s constitution now defines its nuclear status as “irreversible,” following legislation passed in 2022 authorizing the preemptive use of nuclear weapons. A recent report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said Pyongyang continues to expand its arsenal, possibly developing capabilities that could reach the U.S. mainland.

Kim’s government has repeatedly rejected calls for denuclearization talks, with the North Korean leader saying negotiations with Washington will only resume if the U.S. “gives up its absurd obsession with denuclearization.”

Speculation has grown that U.S. President Donald Trump, who is set to visit South Korea for the APEC summit later this month, may attempt another symbolic meeting with Kim at the Demilitarized Zone, similar to their encounter in 2019.

A Party Shaped in Kim’s Image

Since taking power in 2011, Kim has consolidated control over the party and military, reshaping its ideology around “Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism” and introducing a “people-first” doctrine in place of his father’s “military-first” policy.

At the 2021 party congress, Kim was elevated to General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, reaffirming his absolute authority. Last month, he announced plans for a ninth congress to focus on the simultaneous development of nuclear and conventional forces.

As Pyongyang celebrated the party’s 80th anniversary with foreign allies by its side, Kim sought to portray North Korea not as isolated, but as a resilient socialist power standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Beijing and Moscow.