Officials in South Korea and the United States say that North Korea could use the parade to show off a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). "There is a possibility that North Korea will unveil new strategic weapons, such as new intercontinental ballistic missiles or submarine-launched ballistic missiles, to draw attention at a time when its economic achievements have been sluggish," the South's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, said on Thursday. "The display of new ICBMs would signal that North Korea was moving on from this strategy and may indicate that North Korea will resume long-range missile testing," said Jeffrey Lewis, a missile researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. State media outlets showed photos of large crowds of delegates and other visitors masks as they arrived for holiday events. North Korea has not reported any confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but the government has imposed strict border controls and quarantine measures and analysts say an outbreak could be devastating for the economically and politically isolated country.

Source: bd News24 October 09, 2020 03:22 UTC