Kim Jong Un Showcases Military Might, Pledges Nuclear Boost

By Staff, Agencies

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed Wednesday to advance his nation’s nuclear arsenal, overseeing a dramatic nighttime military parade alongside his daughter.

About 14,000 troops marched through Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square under floodlights, with fighter jets roaring overhead, as Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter, Ju Ae, appeared prominently beside him—though no new titles were announced amid speculation about her future role.

In his closing remarks at the congress, Kim doubled down on expanding the nation’s nuclear arsenal. He called it the party’s “firm will” to strengthen national nuclear power and increase both the number of weapons and the means to deploy them.

At the parade, most military hardware was absent—no tanks, ICBMs, hypersonic missiles, or launchers—marking a rare restraint for a regime that usually flaunts its deadliest weapons in state propaganda.

Just last week, state media showed Kim Jong Un at the wheel of a "nuclear-capable" 600mm rocket launcher, while only four months ago a massive parade highlighted the regime’s newest ICBMs.

Meanwhile, the Ninth Workers’ Party Congress, a largely ceremonial gathering, also brought top-level personnel changes.

Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, was promoted, loyalists advanced, and Kim Jong Un was ‘reelected’ general secretary for five more years.

Kim Jong Un scaled back his parade, signaling political control while promising more nuclear and missile capabilities, leaving talks with Washington conditional on US acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear status.

Timing may link to Trump’s upcoming China visit, though the US leader made no mention of North Korea in his latest address.

Kim’s growing partnership with Putin, including a mutual defense pact, boosts Pyongyang’s leverage.

Against that backdrop, Wednesday’s parade emphasized troops over weapons, signaling unity and readiness at home while warning that any attack on North Korea would trigger immediate retaliation.