Overview

• China confirmed Kim and Vladimir Putin will attend and said 26 foreign leaders were invited, with Slovakia’s Robert Fico the lone Western leader expected.
• North Korea publicized the trip to its own population on Aug. 29 via Rodong Sinmun and state radio after first announcing it through KCNA a day earlier.
• The Sept. 3 parade at Tiananmen Square will be a major People’s Liberation Army showcase featuring advanced aircraft, missile-defense systems and hypersonic weapons.
• Observers say the joint appearance projects deepening China–Russia–North Korea solidarity, while any bilateral or three-way meetings have not been announced.
• Delegations will include leaders from Belarus, Iran, Indonesia and Serbia, while South Korea will send National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik instead of President Lee Jae Myung.