Overview
- North Korea is hosting fireworks, parades, dance performances and veteran ceremonies in Pyongyang to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the 1953 armistice, which it marks as Victory Day.
- Leader Kim Jong Un laid a wreath at the Friendship Tower to honor Chinese People’s Volunteers and toured the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum to reinforce the regime’s anti-imperialist narrative.
- State media quoted Kim vowing to never forget the sacrifices of Chinese fighters and to build a prosperous nation supported by a powerful army.
- South Korean authorities report that Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops and supplied munitions to Russia’s Kursk frontline in Ukraine, with additional deployments expected this summer.
- Observers say the muted mention of Sino–North Korean ties in state coverage reflects Pyongyang’s pursuit of diplomatic autonomy under Juche principles.