North Korea celebrates party anniversary amid economic woes

 rth Korea on Saturday celebrated 75th anniversary of its ruling party with outside observers expecting leer Kim Jong Un to take center st in a massive military pare in capital Pyongyang, where rth could possibly unveil latest weapons in its growing nuclear force threatening U.S. allies and American mainland.

It wasn’t immediately clear as of Saturday morning wher any events were proceeding.

A programming schedule anunced by rth Korean television didn’t include plans to brocast a military pare and mass rally, which South Korean government officials and private analysts have said were being prepared at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square.

While rth Korean TV h provided live cover of a 2017 military pare horing birth of Kim’s late grandfar and state founder Kim Il Sung, next two military pares in 2018 were recorded and brocast later.

This year’s anniversary comes amid delocked nuclear negotiations with Trump ministration and deepening ecomic woes, which analysts say are shaping up as one of biggest tests of Kim’s leership since he took power in 2011.

South Korean officials and analysts have said rth Korea could showcase a new intercontinental ballistic missile or or nuclear-capable weapons during a pare, which would highlight how country has continued to expand its military capabilities amid stalled nuclear talks.

But while he may put on a huge display of his military hardware, analysts say Kim will likely avoid direct or harsh criticism toward Washington during his speech at event and inste focus on a domestic mess of unity in face of ecomic hardship.

Many analysts believe rth Korea will avoid serious negotiations or provocations before U.S. presidential election in vember as a change in U.S. government could force country to recalibrate its approach toward Washington and Seoul.

Authoritarian rth Korea is keen about anniversaries, especially ones that fall on every fifth or 10th year, and this week’s festivities were earmarked for years in vance as a major event to glorify Kim’s achievements as leer.

But re hasn’t been much to celebrate lately as Kim struggles to keep afloat an ecomy crippled by years of stringent U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear program and ravd furr this year by border closures amid COVID-19 pandemic and devastating summer floods and typhoons that will likely worsen chronic food shorts.

problems, combined with rth Korea’s depleting foreign currency reserves, are possibly setting conditions for a “perfect storm” that shocks food prices and exchange rates and triggers ecomic panic in coming months, said Lim Soo-ho, an analyst at Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy.

That would compound political burden on Kim, who during a political conference in August showed unusual candor by ackwledging that his ecomic plans aren’t succeeding. ruling Workers’ Party scheduled a rare congress in January 2021 to set development goals for next five years.

Kim could also use congress to anunce new foreign policy directions toward Washington and Seoul.

Kim and President Donald Trump have met three times since embarking on high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018 as rth Korean leer attempted to lever his nukes for bly needed sanctions relief and security benefits.

But talks have faltered over disagreements on disarmament steps and removal of sanctions imposed on rth, which in recent months has repeatedly stated it would never again gift Trump with high-profile meetings he could boast of as foreign policy achievements unless it gets something substantial in return.