Dressed in a black suit and hat, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un proudly declared North Korea a “global military power” Thursday as he showed off his arsenal in a display of North Korean military might.
Thousands of goose-stepping North Korean troops, accompanied by tanks, missiles, and other war machines, marched through Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang Thursday, just one day before the start of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The event was low-key compared to the April 15 parade held last year to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of the North Korean founder, but it was nonetheless a substantial display of military power.
Organized for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, the military parade held Thursday featured a handful of Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missiles, both of which were tested successfully last year.
#NorthKorea Telling TELS – Today their new and successful tested ICBM were one parade but only the four Hwasong-15 were on TELs (Transporter, Erector, Launcher) with the Hwasong-14 on towed trailers pic.twitter.com/NEXhK5mwM2
— Joseph Dempsey (@JosephHDempsey) February 8, 2018
The Hwasong-14 ICBMs were towed on large trailers while the Hwasong-15s were carried on heavy trucks modified to serve as transporter erector launchers. – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday that the United States will “soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever.”
U.S. officials said they would impose those sanctions before the end of the Winter Olympics, which means Pence will quite possibly be in Pyeongchang, South Korea, when they go into effect.
“We will continue to isolate North Korea until it abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile programs once and for all,” Pence declared during his six-day trip to Japan and South Korea.
The Washington Examiner notes that Pence strove to send the message that the Winter Olympics will not “distract from the bellicose North Korean human rights abuses and nuclear program.” He met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss increasing pressure on North Korea. – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]The father of an American student who was imprisoned in North Korea and later died upon his return to the United States will attend the 2018 Olympics Opening Ceremonies alongside Vice President Mike Pence.
Fred Warmbier — the father of the late Otto Warmbier — will travel to Pyeongchang, South Korea as a guest of the vice president, who is leading America’s Winter Olympic delegation, according to The Washington Post.
Pence’s stop in South Korea is part of a five-day trip to Asia. The vice president is also planning to visit Japan.
As for Warmbier — he and his wife Cindy both attended President Donald Trump’s first ever State of the Union address last week as guests of first lady Melania Trump. – READ MORE
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