South Korea paraded thousands of troops and an array of military hardware through its capital as part of its biggest Armed Forces Day ceremony in 10 years, as its president vowed to build a stronger military to thwart any provocation by the North.
Key points:
- This is the first large-scale South Korean military parade since 2013
- The display of force comes in response to continued sabre-rattling from North Korea
- A number of US soldiers participated in the march
Concerns are growing that North Korea is seeking Russian help in expanding its nuclear arsenal in return for supplying Moscow with conventional arms exhausted by its invasion of Ukraine.
“After looking at your imposing march today, I believe our people would trust you and have faith in our national security,” President Yoon Suk Yeol told cheering soldiers at the end of the ceremony in a central Seoul plaza.
“I’ll always support you together with our people.”
Earlier, South Korea rolled tanks, artillery systems, drones and powerful ballistic missiles capable of hitting all of North Korea through the streets of Seoul, amid steady autumn rains.
About 4,000 South Korean troops carrying rifles or flags followed them, accompanied by about 300 US soldiers, in the first such military parade since 2013.
As the soldiers and their weapons went past, Mr Yoon waved, clapped, and flashed a thumbs-up.
Since taking office last year, he has been pushing hard to beef up South Korea’s defence capability while expanding military drills with the United States in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal.
But a complication in Seoul and Washington’s efforts to curb the North’s nuclear ambitions is the latest North Korean push to deepen military cooperation with Russia. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia’s far eastern region to meet with President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites.
North Korea reportedly wants to receive Russian technologies to help its development of spy satellites, nuclear-propelled submarines, and powerful long-range missiles.
Such weapons would pose a major security threat to South Korea and the US
Mr Yoon said he’ll strive to build “a strong military that instils fear in the enemy.”
“Based on battle-ready combat capabilities and a solid readiness posture, our military will immediately retaliate against any North Korean provocation,” he said.
“If North Korea uses nuclear weapons, its regime will be brought to an end by an overwhelming response” from the South Korean-US alliance.
Mr Yoon didn’t mention North Korean-Russian ties in either of his two speeches. But in an address to the UN General Assembly last week, he said South Korea “will not sit idly by” if North Korea and Russia agree to such weapons deals in violation of UN Security Council resolutions that ban all weapons trading with North Korea.
US officials have also said that North Korea and Russia would face consequences if they go ahead with such deals.
AP