In a move that has drawn the world’s attention, North Korea is preparing to stage a grand military parade on October 10, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party. This year’s event in Pyongyang is shaping up to be far more than a display of military hardware—it’s a carefully orchestrated show of international solidarity, diplomatic ambition, and perhaps even dynastic succession, according to multiple reports including Korea JoongAng Daily and AsiaOne.
The parade will be held at the iconic Kim Il Sung Square, the symbolic heart of the North Korean capital. But what’s truly grabbing headlines isn’t just the tanks and missiles expected to roll by. It’s the roster of foreign dignitaries descending on Pyongyang—an unmistakable sign that North Korea is intent on reasserting itself on the world stage, despite years of isolation and heavy international sanctions.
This year, China is sending its second-in-command, Premier Li Qiang, to lead a high-profile party and government delegation. According to China’s Foreign Ministry and North Korean state media, Premier Li’s presence marks a significant upgrade from the last major anniversary parade in 2015, when only the fifth-ranked Chinese official attended. While some analysts note that President Xi Jinping’s absence may disappoint Pyongyang, the gesture is still seen as a powerful signal of goodwill and a step toward normalizing ties.
“Sending Premier Li, the No. 2 in China’s leadership, shows goodwill in line with the restoration of North Korea—China ties,” Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told Korea JoongAng Daily. He added, “Placing Kim Jong-un between the second-ranking leaders of China and Russia during the parade will be a visual demonstration of North Korea’s strategic role and leadership on the Korean Peninsula.”
Russia is also making its presence felt. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council and a close confidant of President Vladimir Putin, is heading Moscow’s delegation. The viewing stand will be a veritable who’s who of the socialist bloc, with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith joining top officials from North Korea, China, and Russia.
The parade, then, is more than a celebration—it’s a statement. Observers say this gathering of senior figures from China, Russia, Vietnam, and Laos is meant to cement Pyongyang’s status as a key voice in what some are calling a new anti-U.S. alliance. The timing is especially notable, coming just weeks before South Korea hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju. Some analysts believe North Korea is using the occasion to upstage Seoul and send a message to Washington.
“North Korea is clearly signaling its intent to play a role in building a multipolar order alongside China and Russia to counterbalance the United States,” Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, explained to Korea JoongAng Daily. “This looks like a strategy to resist diplomatic pressure from Seoul and Washington through socialist solidarity.”
The diplomatic choreography began earlier in the week. On October 7, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally welcomed Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith at Pyongyang’s airport, complete with a cheering crowd, a 21-gun salute, and a formal welcome ceremony attended by top officials, as reported by AsiaOne. The two leaders discussed strengthening mutual cooperation and capped the day with a lavish banquet in honor of the Laotian delegation. Such high-level visits are rare for North Korea, given its ongoing restrictions on foreign visitors and the biting sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
With the main event looming, speculation is swirling about whether Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, will make a public appearance. At just 12 years old, Ju-ae has already accompanied her father on visits, including a recent trip to China, though she stayed out of the official limelight there. South Korean intelligence has assessed that her international exposure is meant to groom her as a potential successor, and many expect that Kim may place her in a prominent role during the parade to underscore her status.
“Given that Kim Jong-un is directing and producing this parade himself, there’s a high likelihood he will feature Ju-ae in a prominent supporting role to underscore her status and presence,” Lim Eul-chul noted.
Of course, no North Korean parade would be complete without military theatrics. On October 4, Pyongyang hosted a defense exhibition dubbed “National Defense Development–2025,” where it showcased new weaponry, including the Hwasong-11MA—a short-range ballistic missile equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle. Kim Jong-un himself, speaking before the Supreme People’s Assembly on September 21, declared that North Korea had developed “new secret weapons” and made “significant achievements in defense science,” though he was characteristically tight-lipped about the details.
Experts are now betting that the parade could see the unveiling of one or more of these new systems. Candidates include the much-rumored Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, a hypersonic missile, an unmanned underwater vehicle, or even a high-performance drone system. The intent is clear: to demonstrate technological prowess and military deterrence, particularly as the United States continues to deploy strategic assets in the region.
Kim’s rhetoric has been pointed. “We are closely watching the U.S.' deployment of its means of strategic strike and reconnaissance […] and the mobilization for hostile acts in connection with a new possible threat to our state's security,” he said at the recent defense event. In a thinly veiled warning to South Korea, he added, “They themselves should have to judge whether the territory of the ROK would be a safe place in any case,” using the official name, Republic of Korea.
As the world waits for the spectacle to unfold, the message from Pyongyang is unmistakable. North Korea is not content to remain on the sidelines. By aligning itself more closely with China and Russia, and by drawing in other socialist states like Vietnam and Laos, Kim Jong-un is signaling a shift from isolation toward a more assertive, multipolar strategy. The parade is not just about military might—it’s about North Korea’s place in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.
Whether the world will see a new ‘secret weapon,’ a dynastic heir in the spotlight, or simply the pageantry of socialist solidarity, one thing is certain: Pyongyang’s parade is set to be a defining moment, both for North Korea’s domestic narrative and for its international ambitions.