N. Korea touts Kim's leadership on 78th founding anniversary of ruling party

A celebratory performance held to mark the 78th founding anniversary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party is seen in this photo carried by North's official Korean Central News Agency, Oct. 10. Yonhap

North Korea on Tuesday lauded leader Kim Jong-un for "exceptionally" strengthening the country's combat power as Pyongyang marked the 78th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party.

The Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said Kim "exceptionally strengthened the combat power" over the past decade to "firmly secure the party's future that would successfully carry on for thousands of millions of years."

Noting how the North amended the constitution to enshrine the policy of bolstering its nuclear force in a key parliamentary meeting last month, the newspaper said the regime has "achieved yet another meaningful and important political feat."

The North held celebratory events, such as performances and fireworks, to mark the anniversary, according to state media, but there have been no signs of a military parade or other provocative shows of force taking place.

The North tends to mark every fifth and 10th anniversary with larger events, such as military provocations, including missile launches and parades of troops, newly developed strategic weapons and other military hardware.

In July, the reclusive regime staged a massive military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, with Chinese and Russian delegations in attendance, displaying its latest intercontinental ballistic missiles and drones in a show of its military might.

Last month, it staged a scaled-down paramilitary parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the regime's founding day, with its leader in attendance. (Yonhap)