The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday slammed some South Korean conservative media and politicians for calling an upcoming military parade here as “provocation.”
The official daily Rodong Sinmun published a signed article on the military parade to be held on Feb. 8 in Pyongyang, on the eve of the opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The article said that the event will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), and accused some South Korean conservative media and politicians of twisting facts and making irresponsible comments on their neighbor’s important event.
“It is a unique idea of the Korean army and people to celebrate the founding date of the KPA and no one has the right to make irresponsible comments on it,” it said.
DPRK used to celebrate the military founding day on April 25, which marked the founding of a guerrilla troop by Kim Il Sung in 1930s to fight the Japanese occupiers.
Less than two weeks ago, the nation declared that Feb. 8 will be marked as the founding anniversary of the KPA and the “Army-Building Day,” as DPRK’s Founding President Kim Il Sung established the regular revolutionary armed forces on Feb. 8, 1948.
In this regard, April 25 will be marked as the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army.
The DPRK and South Korea have agreed to cooperate in the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to be held during Feb. 9-25 in South Korea, which could bring about a detente on the Korean Peninsula.
