75th anniversary of Workers’ Party of North Korea

North Korea on Saturday celebrated the 75th anniversary of its ruling party, with outside observers waiting for leader Kim Jong Un to take centre stage in a massive military parade in which the North was expected to possibly unveil the latest weapons in its growing nuclear arsenal.

It wasn’t immediately clear, however, whether any events were proceeding or had already taken place.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said there were signs that the North had mobilised “large crowds and equipment” for a military parade at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square during the early hours of Saturday, although it left open the possibility that the activities could have been a rehearsal.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the US and South Korean militaries were closely analysing information about the parade and weighing the possibility that it was indeed the main event.

It was unclear whether Kim was in attendance.

It would be unusual for the North to hold a military parade during dark pre-dawn hours, although such conditions may provide benefits in protecting sensitive information about crucial weapons that were rolled out or creating spectacles through the use of lights.

A programming schedule announced by North Korean television didn’t include plans to broadcast a military parade and mass rally, which South Korean government officials and private analysts had said were being prepared.

While North Korean TV had provided live coverage of a 2017 military parade honoring the birth of Kim’s late grandfather and state founder, Kim Il Sung, the next two military parades in 2018 were recorded and broadcast later.

Masked citizens lined up to lay flowers at the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the father of the current ruler, at Pyongyang’s Mansu Hill.

A huge street poster highlighted the ruling Workers’ Party’s symbol - a hammer, brush and sickle - with letters that read “Best glory to our great party.”

This year’s anniversary comes amid deadlocked nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration and deepening economic woes that analysts say are shaping up as one of the biggest tests of Kim’s leadership since he took power in 2011.