As the 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea opened on the 19th, large-scale rehearsal drills for a military parade are believed to be underway in the Pyongyang area.
Yu Yong-weon of the National Defense Committee from the People Power Party said on the 20th that he received photos taken at 30-centimeter-class resolution by Venter (formerly Maxar Technologies) between the 9th and the 17th and released this analysis.
A detailed analysis of these photos by the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF) found that about 12,000 troops have gathered and are conducting training on the parade ground at Mirim Airfield in Pyongyang.
Satellite images identified multiple units of troops, each composed of about 300 personnel per column, marching in formation.
However, movements of large equipment around the large hangars at Mirim Airfield have not yet been observed.
Shin Jong-woo, KODEF's secretary-general, explained, "At present, the exercises are centered on personnel, and the assembly of strategic weapons such as armored units and mobile missile launchers is presumed to proceed sequentially."
In addition, around Kim Il Sung Square, rehearsals for a crowd card section forming the Workers' Party flag and drills by the honor guard were also captured.
Yu said, "This 9th party congress parade is expected to mobilize troops and equipment on a scale surpassing the 8th congress," adding, "In particular, by inviting a large number of high-level foreign officials, including from Russia, it will become a stage for a show of force that blatantly flaunts the close relationship, such as 'North Korea–Russia military cooperation,' at home and abroad."
Previously, at the parade for the 8th party congress held in Jan. 2021, more than 15,000 troops and 172 pieces of equipment of 20 types were mobilized. This year's parade is expected to be similar in scale to the parade on Oct. 10 last year marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party, which mobilized more than 16,000 troops and about 60 pieces of equipment of 12 types.