Overview

• KCNA said Kim Jong-un held talks with Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith in Pyongyang and agreed to deepen cooperation.
• China’s Premier Li Qiang, Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnam’s party chief To Lam are slated to attend this week’s events, with Hanoi confirming Lam’s departure.
• Kim visited the Party Founding Museum and urged renewed loyalty to socialism, pledging to preserve the ruling party’s ideological purity, according to state media.
• North Korea has not announced a parade, but South Korean officials see signs one is planned, and observers say new systems could be showcased following the Oct. 4 defense exhibition that displayed the Hwasong-11MA.
• Analysts say the lineup of foreign guests is calibrated to project a counterweight to U.S. influence and elevate Pyongyang’s role in a more multipolar order.