South Korea yesterday commenced its first large-scale military parade in a decade, with weapons ranging from ballistic missiles to attack helicopters due to roll through Seoul in a show of force as it takes a tougher stance against North Korea.
The parade marks the nation’s Armed Forces Day, normally a muted event relative to the massive events North Korea has staged under leader Kim Jong-un that include strategic weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In a speech at Seoul Air Base, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned Pyongyang against the use of nuclear weapons, and pledged to ramp up support for the military and the defense industry.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“If North Korea uses nuclear weapons, its regime will be brought to an end by an overwhelming response from the ROK-US alliance,” Yoon said while addressing troops in the rain.
The full-day event was to feature thousands of troops and South Korea’s home-grown tanks and self-propelled artillery, as well as attack aircraft and drones, joined by 300 of the 28,500 US troops based in the nation, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said.
The highlight was to be a 2km parade through Seoul’s main commercial and business district to the bustling Gwanghwamun area that is the gate to a sprawling palace in the heart of Seoul.
South Korea last held a military street parade in 2013. The Armed Forces Day event and parade are being held before the actual day on Sunday, as it overlaps with a major national holiday this year.
The event comes as Yoon has taken a hawkish stance on North Korea, making displays of weapons and military drills a cornerstone of his strategy to counter North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile programs.
Yoon has promised a swift and overwhelming response against any aggression by Pyongyang, and has actively reinforced a military alliance with Washington and Tokyo since taking office last year.
Yesterday’s parade began at the air base in Seongnam on the outskirts of Seoul, where Hyunmoo missiles, L-SAM missile interceptors and reconnaissance drones were among military hardware on display.
A flypast of F-35 jets and the nation’s first domestically developed fighter, the KF-21, was scrapped because of poor weather, the presidential office said.
Hyunmoo is one of South Korea’s latest missiles, which analysts say is an integral part of Seoul’s plans for striking North Korea during a conflict, while the L-SAM is designed to hit incoming missiles at altitudes of 50km to 60km.
The event was also to feature a joint flyover by South Korean and US military aircraft to demonstrate an “upgraded” combined defense posture, the ministry said.
The parade comes a week after Kim returned from a trip to Russia, during which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to boost military cooperation.
Yoon has said that if Russia helped North Korea enhance its weapons programs in return for assistance for its war in Ukraine, it would be “a direct provocation.”
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he would make a decision about how the US government would refer to the body of water commonly known as the Persian Gulf when he visits Arab states next week. Trump told reporters at the White House that he expects his hosts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will ask him about the US officially calling the waterway the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia. “They’re going to ask me about that when I get there, and I’ll have to make a decision,” Trump said. “I don’t want to hurt anybody’s
RSS