With a first military parade in ten years, South Korea shows its muscles against its North Korean neighbor

2023-09-26 15:54:17

A show of force. South Korea organized its first major military parade in ten years in Seoul on Tuesday with an unprecedented participation of 300 American soldiers, at a time when tensions with its northern neighbor are at their height. Some 4,000 soldiers took part in this parade in the heart of Seoul in pouring rain, cheered by a crowd sheltered under umbrellas and waving South Korean flags. Nearly 170 tanks, missiles, drones and tanks have also been deployed.

The South Korean Air Force, which was to fly fighter jets, including American-made F-35 stealth fighters, into the skies over Seoul, ultimately canceled its demonstration due to the weather. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol watched the parade from a platform, where he applauded the marching troops.

Firmness towards Pyongyang, strengthening of the American military alliance

Traditionally, a military parade was held in Seoul every five years for Armed Forces Day. The last one was held in 2013, but the 2018 edition was replaced by a more sober ceremony by the left-wing president at the time, Moon Jae-in, who was attempting a policy of rapprochement with Pyongyang.

South Korea is now led by Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative advocating toughness towards North Korea. Since taking over the presidency in May 2022, South Korea has intensified its military cooperation with the United States and Japan, organizing joint maneuvers on an unprecedented scale. “If North Korea uses nuclear weapons, its regime will be stopped by an overwhelming response from the U.S.-South Korean alliance,” Yoon Suk Yeol said.

This first parade in ten years, which constituted a commercial showcase of the latest South Korean weapons, “is an unsubtle and visually provocative gesture on the part of the South Korean government to address (to the North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un the message that Seoul will not back down and seek ways to reconcile,” said LMI Consulting’s Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst.