North Korean Military Parade Showcases Enhanced Weaponry and Ties With China and Russia

When North Korea’s neighbors paid a visit to Pyongyang on October 10, Kim Jong-Un treated them to a tightly orchestrated spectacle. Guests, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnamese General Secretary To Lam, attended a military parade that capped days of high-level talks between the four countries, largely focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine.   

The event, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s dictatorship, which came a month after China’s enormous “Victory Day” military parade, showcased North Korea’s growing nuclear program, along with the regime’s efforts to strengthen ties with the Axis of Aggressors threatening U.S. national security.

Parade Showcases Kim Regime’s New Weapons Capabilities

Kim showed off an arsenal of conventional armaments, such as main battle tanks, drones, and ballistic missiles, alongside the Hwasong-20, the regime’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile. The parade also featured North Korean soldiers who likely fought on behalf of Russia in the Kursk region, a stark reminder of the regime’s ongoing support for Moscow’s war effort.

The trip also marked a renewed push by both China and Vietnam to stabilize relations with North Korea following the pandemic, which saw the country close its borders to nearly all foreign travel. Qiang’s visit was part of the highest-level Chinese delegation to North Korea since 2019, while Lam’s visit was the first top-level contact between Vietnam and North Korea since 2007.

China and Vietnam Look To Settle Ties With North Korea

Beijing and Hanoi may be attempting to curry favor with Pyongyang as Kim continues to grow the country’s nuclear program — North Korea is believed to have as many as 50 warheads assembled and enough fissile material to build 90 weapons — and its ties with Russia. While China has maintained close ties with North Korea as a counter to South Korea’s alliance with the United States, Kim’s growing bond with Russia — including a mutual defense treaty signed in November — may encourage Beijing to try to retain its influence relative to Moscow’s. The treaty marked only the latest outgrowth of the burgeoning ties between Russia and North Korea, with U.S. Korea Forces Commander General Xavier Brunson noting in recent congressional testimony that Moscow is supporting North Korea’s nuclear, missile, and space programs in exchange for Pyongyang’s wartime assistance. Moreover, China has also signaled its tacit acquiescence to North Korea’s nuclear program, having quietly dropped its long-standing demand for denuclearization of the peninsula from recent policy documents.  

While Vietnam has largely sought to grow its ties with South Korea — a major trading partner — at the expense of its relations with the North, Hanoi may also see an advantage in maintaining influence with the regime. Vietnam may be interested in learning from North Korea how to modernize Soviet weapons systems — a possible reason for Vietnam’s defense minister joining Lam on the trip. Vietnam also may be interested in reprising its previous intermediary role in any renewed nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea as a source of leverage over Washington to press for greater U.S. market access.

Washington Should Disrupt Pyongyang’s Regional Charm Offensive

The parade, along with Qiang and Medvedev’s attendance, signifies North Korea’s role within an emerging Axis of Aggressors threatening U.S. national security, and positions Pyongyang as a key military power in the region.

In response, the United States should publicly commit to examining and strengthening its long-standing operational plans and force structure on the Korean peninsula as a key part of the Department of Defense’s upcoming Global Posture Review. The administration should pair this measure with renewed public commitments to defend South Korea under America’s current extended deterrence posture, a move that may also reduce regional tensions by decreasing Seoul’s desire to nuclearize. Moreover, the United States should signal to Vietnam, an emerging partner in countering China, that further military sales will be conditioned on Hanoi’s relationship with Pyongyang.

Jack Burnham is a research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Mathew Ha is an adjunct fellow with FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI). For more analysis from Jack, Mat, and CCTI, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_CCTI. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.