Overview

• North Korea’s KCNA confirmed Kim Jong Un’s participation, marking his first trip to China since 2019, after Beijing named him and Vladimir Putin on its guest list.
• The event will host about 26 foreign leaders as major Western leaders stay away, with attendees including Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.
• Chinese officials say the 70‑minute parade will feature over 10,000 troops, more than 100 aircraft, and hundreds of domestically produced systems, many making their public debut.
• Beijing casts the parade as a commemoration of the end of World War II, while Vice Foreign Minister Hong lauded China–North Korea “traditional friendship” and pledged closer cooperation.
• The gathering highlights deepening Russia–North Korea ties, following a defense pact signed last year and reports of North Korean support to Russia’s war in Ukraine.