NORTH KOREA UNVEILS LARGE ICBM IN PRE-DAWN PARADE

North Korea on Saturday staged a predawn military parade in Pyongyang to show off its cutting-edge intercontinental ballistic missile on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling party, in a rare move amid the coronavirus pandemic, state-run TV reported. 

At the nation's first military parade in two years, North Korea displayed what appears to be new types of ballistic missiles, including what analysts say is the highest-level ICBM, carried on a launch vehicle with 11 wheels on one side. Tomoyuki Tachikawa reported for Kyodo news agency.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported later in the day that the parade began around the start of Saturday local time with "unsparing compliment and welcome by citizens of Pyongyang," adding it will be "recorded in the history of the country." Although North Korea has not carried out ballistic missile tests for more than six months, North Korean President Kim Jong Un pledged at a key meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea last December to unveil a "new strategic weapon" to be possessed by the nation "in the near future." 

North Korea's economy, meanwhile, may be facing a serious downturn, as its talks with the United States on denuclearization and sanctions relief remain stalled at a time when the coronavirus spread has stifled business activities with its neighbors. Clad in a gray Western-style suit and tie instead of his usual Mao suit, Kim observed the parade from a balcony overlooking Kim Il Sung Square, the central Pyongyang area named after his grandfather and North Korea's founder. Kim said in a 30-minute speech that he hopes a day will come when the two Koreas join hands while blaming himself for the plight of citizens. He also emphasized that no one in North Korea is infected with the coronavirus.