North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is reportedly planning the biggest military parade for more than a decade which will feature thousands of troops, tanks, artillery and missiles.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing defense analysts, said the regime may choose the occasion to unveil a new multi-stage ballistic missile with a range of up to 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).

North Korea's official media said a "mammoth" parade would mark Tuesday's 55th anniversary of the foundation of the communist state. Reports in Seoul said missiles and tanks have been moved to Mirim airport, about 11 kilometers outside the capital, in preparation.

A Seoul government official told the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper the parade would be the biggest since 1992 when the Stalinist state celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of its People's Army as a guerrilla force fighting the Japanese occupation of Korea.

Speculation has mounted that North Korea would use Tuesday's celebrations to carry out a nuclear or missile test as a follow-up to three days of acrimonious six-nation talks in Beijing late last month on its nuclear program.

At last month's nuclear talks North Korea reiterated its demand for a non-aggression pact from the United States while Washington insisted that North Korea dismantle its nuclear programs before it receives concessions.

Signs of flexibility have emerged from Washington with officials indicating that the United States may be willing to consider offering inducements for North Korea to comply, and officials and analysts said North Korea would be foolish to hold a test at this delicate stage in nuclear crisis negotiations.

"I am cautiously negative on whether they will carry out any such test. If they did, six-way nuclear talks would quickly become a multilateral sanctions regime," said professor Kim Sung-Han of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security here.

Robert Karniol, Asia Pacific editor for Jane's Defence Weekly, also said a test was unlikely.

"I personally don't see any particular benefit at this time (of testing a nuclear device)," Karniol told journalists in Beijing.

On Sunday US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States would consult with allies what "security assurance" could be offered to North Korea in return for an end to its nuclear weapons program.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yoon Young-Kwan, who met with US President George W. Bush and Powell in Washington last week, said he expected the United States to "actively" address North Korean security concerns at the next round of six-way talks.

"I was told (at talks with Bush) that the United States was actively considering and preparing to address the issue of North Korea's security concerns," Yoon told reporters here.

"I think that the United States may come up with its proposal at the next round of six-nation talks."

But North Korea accused the United States Monday of misleading the public and repeated that it planned to increase its nuclear deterrence.

"Some (US) officials ... are reportedly spreading misinformation ... that the US is preparing for a significant change in its approach to North Korea...," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said.

This included that "the US expressed its willingness to take measures ranging from the phased lift of sanctions to the conclusion of a final peace pact once the DPRK (North Korea) begins dismantling its nuclear weapons facilities," he told the Korean Central News Agency.

"This is, however, nothing but a sheer lie the US faked up to flee from its responsibility for bringing to rupture the hard-won six-way talks, a result of the DPRK's magnanimity and good faith."

North Korea would "increase its nuclear deterrent force as a self-defensive means, now that it has become clear that the US does not have any willingness to make a switchover in its hostile policy," he said.

No date has been fixed for a new round of talks bringing together the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States.

burs/sdm/th

All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

Quick Links
SpaceWar
Search SpaceWar
Subscribe To SpaceWar Express

SpaceWar Search Engine

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPACEWAR NEWSLETTER SubscribeUnsubscribe