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South Korea holds rare military parade
South Korea on Tuesday (Sep 26) held its first large-scale military parade in a decade in a show of force against North Korea. During the parade which marked the 75th anniversary of Korea Armed Forces Day - typically a muted event - Seoul showcased its advanced arsenal in the face of plummeting ties with reportedly nuclear-armed North Korea.
(Photograph:AFP)
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Military parade after a decade
While North Korea regularly holds huge military parades, such events in South Korea are traditionally arranged every five years to mark South Korea's Armed Forces Day.
Seoul held its last military street parade in 2013. But five years later, then-president Moon Jae-in, who had sought better ties with Pyongyang, chose to hold a celebratory ceremony instead of a military event.
However, incumbent President Yoon Suk Yeol has taken more a hawkish stance on North Korea amid repeated threats.
This year, the Armed Forces Day event and parade were held ahead of the actual day on Oct 1, as it overlaps with a major national holiday.
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What happened during the parade?
The military parade saw the participation of around 4,000 troops as they marched through central Seoul on a rain-soaked afternoon.
The highlight was a two-kilometre parade through the South Korean capital's main commercial and business district to the bustling Gwanghwamun area that is the gate to a sprawling palace in the heart of Seoul, reported Reuters.
The full-day event also featured thousands of troops and South Korea's home-grown tanks and self-propelled artillery. South Korean troops were also joined by 300 of the 28,500 United States soldiers based in the country, said the Defence Ministry.
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Hundreds of weapons displayed
Thousands of troops were accompanied by 170 pieces of military equipment, including air and sea drones, tanks and missiles, reported AFP.
Tuesday's parade kicked off at the Seoul Air Base where Hyunmoo missiles, L-SAM missile interceptors, and reconnaissance drones were among military hardware on display.
Hyunmoo is one of South Korea's latest missiles, which analysts say is an integral part of Seoul's plans for striking the North during a conflict, reported Reuters citing experts.
A fly-past of US-made F-35 stealth jets and South Korea's first domestically developed fighter, the KF-21 was cancelled due to poor weather, said the presidential office.
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South Korea's tougher stance on North Korea
South Korea under Yoon, who was elected last year, has taken a tougher stance against North Korea and brought Seoul closer to Washington and the longstanding allies have ramped up defence cooperation, including large-scale drills, to counter growing threats from Pyongyang.
"If North Korea uses nuclear weapons, its regime will be brought to an end by an overwhelming response from the ROK-US alliance," said the South Korean president while addressing troops in the rain at the Seoul Air Base referring to South's official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK).
(Photograph:Reuters)
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Cheers and boos from South Koreans
Images and videos from the military parade in Seoul show streets lined with crowds standing in the rain to watch the rare display of military hardware up close. Many were seen cheering and waving South Korean flags as troops, tanks, missiles and underwater drones passed by.
"Weapons like the unmanned drones show how much our country has developed," said Cho Kyu-bok, a 75-year-old resident of Goyang who came to Gwanghwamun hours before the event to get a front-row view of the new weapons told Reuters.
However, Reuters reported that some activists held a demonstration near the site of the parade, denouncing the government for fanning tensions, holding a banner that read "Stop arms race."
(Photograph:Reuters)
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'Not-so-subtle and visually provocative gesture'
It is worth noting that while South Korea chooses to go all out every five years or so, North Korea has held three military parades this year alone showing off its wide range of equipment including its largest Hwasong-17 ICBMs.
The parade in Seoul "is a not-so-subtle and visually provocative gesture on the part of the South Korean government of telling (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un that Seoul will not be backing down or looking for ways to reconcile," LMI Consulting's Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst, told AFP.
Yoon has also promised a swift response against any aggression by Pyongyang. Amid growing threats from North Korea, he has also actively reinforced a military alliance with Washington and Tokyo since taking office last year.