SEOUL, South Korea — Long columns of goose-stepping soldiers, accompanied by what North Korea claimed were nuclear-tipped missiles, marched through central Pyongyang, the capital, Saturday, as the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, gave his first public speech in three years to emphasize his "love for the people" and declare his readiness to "fight any form of war" with the United States.
Kim celebrated the 70th anniversary of his ruling Workers' Party on Saturday with what appeared to be one of the largest military parades the North had ever organized. As warplanes flew overhead, the plaza in Pyongyang was filled with soldiers and citizens chanting slogans of loyalty to the Kim family and waving pink and red artificial flowers in synchronized moves.
In a 25-minute speech before the parade, Kim spoke of his "love" and "dedication to the people," whom he thanked for staying with his party through decades of U.S.-led economic sanctions and blockades.
"Our revolutionary armed forces are ready to fight any form of war the American imperialists want," he said, while the only prominent foreign guest — Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Politburo — stood nearby.
Liu is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the North since Kim rose to power in late 2011. President Xi Jinping of China also sent a warm note to Kim, a sign that relations may be thawing after a deep chill.
The North's state-run Korean Central Television showed columns of tanks, drones and rocket tubes. South Korean officials said that the tubes included a new model with a range long enough to strike South Korean and American military bases south of Seoul. The highlight was what South Korean officials said appeared to be a new version of KN-08 long-range missiles.
The KN-08 is widely believed to have been designed as the North's first intercontinental ballistic missile. But it has never been flight-tested, so when it was first shown in public in 2012 and 2013, some outside analysts said it might be a mock-up of a system still under development.