The Indonesia Post – Today, North Korea plans to stage a military parade. As the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Labor Party, the ruling party and the only party in the country.
This military parade is predicted to be the largest military parade in North Korean history. Because it involves about 32 thousand soldiers and 600 students and researchers from Kim Il-sung University, which is a missile development university. The training was carried out for months long before the peak of the celebration. Everything is done so that it looks compact beyond the compactness of “rowing ducks”.
At this military parade, North Korea is predicted to show off its newest weapons. Includes the KN-14 intercontinental ballistic missile.
Today’s military parade will catch the world’s attention. Not only because it was held in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. But also in the middle of an economic struggle.
If for some countries the pandemic is considered to have caused the economy to decline, then for North Korea it means more than that. Moreover, its trade with China fell by up to 70 percent during the pandemic.
The Central Bank of South Korea was quoted by BBC Indonesia as saying that North Korea’s fragile economy grew only 0.4 percent in 2019. It was the first positive growth in three years. On the other hand, more than 40 percent of the population is malnourished.
North Korea is a country that has an industrialized, autarkic and highly centralized command economy. This means that the economy is fully owned and planned by the government.
Of the five remaining socialist countries in the world, only North Korea and Cuba have such an economic system.
But North Korea has begun to change. Kim Jong-Un is now starting to pay attention to his country’s economy. Start implementing economic improvement programs. At least for the next five years. Which has now started running. Although with various limitations, due to international sanctions. The aftermath of its nuclear program.
Hence, the military parade this time was made so busy. So festive. Involves so many people.
To the outside world, the aim is to convey propaganda that North Korea has a strong and absolute government. Not afraid of the threat of sanctions.
Meanwhile, at home, the aim is to show that North Korea is ready to protect the people. Ready to build the economy. Which in the future can prosper the people.
As the saying goes, we pass two islands at a stroke. Through these militaries, North Korea can achieve two goals at once. (nfl/bbs)
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