North Korea is holding rallies, art events and an exhibition ahead of the 81st anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea on Oct. 10. Seoul does not expect celebrations on the scale of milestone years.
The Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea held a celebration on Wednesday. Participants in a debate session called for stronger party leadership and more ideological education, and stressed the need to meet grain-production targets, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported.
A performance by the Youth Central Art Propaganda Team and the opening of the National Art Exhibition at the Korean Central Art Gallery also took place Wednesday. The paper said residents were visiting the Party Founding Museum in Pyongyang. On Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency reported that flower baskets had arrived from the presidents of Laos and Palestine and from the military attaché corps.
A South Korean unification ministry official said Seoul did not expect a major celebration because the 81st anniversary is not considered a milestone. North Korea traditionally stages large military parades, mass gymnastics performances and weapons exhibitions for anniversaries ending in zero or five.
A nighttime military parade was held at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang for the party’s 80th anniversary in 2025. North Korea displayed its Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile. South Korean sources have assessed that the missile may be capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads and reaching the United States.