North Korea staged a smaller-than expected military parade on the eve of the Winter Olympics in what some viewed as a provocation to the West.
The 90-minute “curtailed military parade” was not broadcast live - an unusual move apparently aimed at keeping the event low-key, says South Korean news agency Yonhap. The movement of missile-carrying transporter erector launchers was also detected during the preparations, according to reports.
The parade marked the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People’s Army, a date that has traditionally been marked on 25 April. Pyongyang recently changed the date to 8 February, in what has been described as “a clear sign of defiance” and an attempt to upstage the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Games.
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CNN called it a “poke in the eye” for South Korean president Moon Jae-in, after efforts to present a more united Korea at the so-called “Peace Olympics”.
Meanwhile, North Korea says it has no plans for talks with US officials during the Games, Reuters reports, citing state media - “dampening hopes the Games will help resolve a tense stand-off” over nuclear weapons.
The tension creates a diplomatic headache for South Korea. US Vice President Mike Pence - who this week promised “the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever” - arrived in the mountain resort of PyeongChang today. Pence is to attend Friday’s opening ceremony with Fred Warmbier, the father of an American who died after he was imprisoned in North Korea, The Washington Post reports.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is due to arrive by private jet at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport on Friday afternoon, Reuters says. Her presence creates a diplomatic protocol headache, as the VIP seating plan for the opening ceremony looks likely to place Pence and Kim just metres apart, The Guardian says.
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