Today, September 9th,... North Korea is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its founding.
It's usually the day when the regime parades its most powerful military assets,... and highlights its major achievements of the year.
So far, there have been only rumors and speculation about about exactly how this year's celebrations would go.
Let's connect to our Park Hee-jun for a clearer picture of what's happening.
Hee-jun, what can you tell us about how North Korea is celebrating today?

It's a big day for North Korea, Ji-yeon,... as the regime turns 70 today.
We hear that the parade already ended after beginning at around 10AM.
But we're still waiting to hear the specifics,... especially on the military display, what kinds of weapons it featured, and whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave out a public message.

Observers have been speculating about whether North Korea would bring out its ICBMs or anything long-range capable of hitting the U.S.
Because on previous anniversaries,... it celebrated the accomplishments of its nuclear scientists and flaunted its newest assets.
Just back in February, to mark the establishment of its military seven decades ago,... North Korea displayed its Hwasong-14 and 15 ICBMs, which can deliver nuclear weapons to any city in the U.S. mainland.
Hundreds of trucks carrying thousands of troops heading to the square were seen earlier today.
The South Korean government is still looking into whether the missiles were present-- but there was more military personnel compared to February's parade.
I'll bring the updates on that as soon as we get them.

Major guests of honor from other countries were also present, including Li Zhanshu , the number three man in China,... representing Chinese leader Xi Jinping,... and from Russia, Valentina Matvienko, chairperson of the Russian Federation Council.
Delegations from Turkey, Canada, Iran, and also other countries attend the event.
Although he wasn't there in person, President Xi... sent a congratulatory message to Kim that emphasized the two countries' close alliance and said he hopes to work with North Korea to bring prosperity to both countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also sent a message,... in which said he hopes to enhance cooperation in various fields with the North,... and that he'll support North Korea in bringing peace and stability to the region.

It's highly likely that the scale of today's parade reflected North Korea's determination to keep up the momentum of dialogue with the United States,... and its willingness to denuclearize.
A display that's too militant would have upset the diplomatic alliance.
Plus, Kim Jong-un will be hosting South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyeongyang for the third inter-Korean summit of the year,... so the North had to tone down the parade's militaristic aspects.

That's all from me for now, Ji-yeon.
Back to you.