North Korean dictator presents 'Young Commander' to the world

One day, son, all this will be yours: North Korean dictator presents 'Young Commander' to the world

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his son, heir apparent Kim Jong Un, appeared together at a massive military parade yesterday held amid celebrations marking the foundation of the country's ruling party.

The two Kims stood on a reviewing stand at Pyongyang's central Kim Il Sung Square, named after the country's national founder, where goose-stepping military personnel marched by and military hardware, including tanks, passed below.

The festivities were broadcast on state television, giving the North Korean people one of their first good looks at their future leader, who will his succeed his father to carry the communist dynasty into the third generation.

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North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, left, walks by his son Kim Jong Un on the balcony as they attend a massive military parade. It was also a chance to present the Young Commander to the people he will one day rule and the invited international media

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Human letters marking out '65' - the number of years the Workers Party of Korea has been in existence - are created by participants in the parade broadcast on state television. It also gave the North Korean people their first good look at their future leader

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Tanks and trucks loaded with katyusha rocket launchers and grenades rolled past the assembled dignitaries

The elder Mr Kim entered the venue to huge cheers from the crowd. He was accompanied by his son and other top officials including Kim Yong Nam, the president of the country's parliament.

The parade is part of celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The party last month held a landmark political convention, its most significant gathering in 30 years, at which Kim Jong Un was promoted to vice chairman of the organisation's central military commission.

State TV showed goose-stepping military personnel marching past the reviewing stand and being saluted by Kim Jong Il and later Kim Jong Un, who was not dressed in military uniform as some analysts had expected.

He wore the same dark, communist-style outfit he has been seen photographed in recently since making his public debut late last month.

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Thousands of troops from every branch of North Korea's 1.2-million-strong military goose-stepped around the plaza

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High kicks, with and without swords: Dancers from various branches of the vast military were on display for what is believed to have been the country's biggest-ever parade

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These women from a naval academy also goose-stepped past the future leader and his father

Earlier, a North Korean flag was raised and military officers in full dress uniform watching as a band played rousing music and the large crowd looked on.

'If the US imperialists and their followers infringe on our sovereignty and dignity even slightly, we will blow up the stronghold of their aggression with a merciless and righteous retaliatory strike by mobilising all physical means, including self-defensive nuclear deterrent force, and achieve the historic task of unification,' Ri Yong Ho, chief of the General Staff of the North Korean army, said before troops began marching.

Even in a country known for its elaborately staged displays of military might, the scale and pomp of the weekend festivities - less than two weeks after the news that Kim Jong Il's 20-something son would succeed him and grandfather as leader - suggested something special.

Yesterday's appearance was a heady debut for the mysterious young man who until two weeks ago was a virtual unknown outside North Korea's inner circle of military and political elite.

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A young soldier takes a look around and (right) two women soldiers share a joke before the start of the procession

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Kim Jong Un, left, chats with a general on the balcony. Yesterday's appearance was a heady debut for the mysterious young man who until two weeks ago was a virtual unknown outside North Korea's inner circle of military and political elite

Kim Jong Un is the third son of Kim Jong Il but his name never appeared in state media until late last month, and even the exact spelling of his name was unclear.

Nor were they any photos of him as an adult until the state's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper last week published a group shot of the young man seated with his father and other top party leaders.

This week, state television showed still images of father and son watching a military unit carry out live-fire drills.

The Swiss-educated son said to be his 68-year-old father's favourite emerged in recent months as the rumoured front-runner to inherit the mantle of leadership, despite his youth and inexperience.

There were reports that children were singing odes to 'the Young Commander', and that his January birthday had been made a national holiday like those of his father and grandfather.

Spectacle: Dancers bearing oversize fuchsia fans were part of the entertainment during an evening gala

Lavish: The day-long celebrations mark the 65th anniversary of the formation of the ruling Workers' Party

The parade was said to be the nation's largest ever, an impressive display of unity and military might for a country known for its elaborately staged performances that suggested bigger celebrations than just the Workers' Party anniversary.

Thousands of troops from every branch of North Korea's 1.2-million-strong military, as well as from naval officers' academies and military nursing schools, goose-stepped around the plaza decorated with banners and flags to the accompaniment of a military brass band and ordinary citizens waving plastic bouquets.

Tanks and trucks loaded with katyusha rocket launchers and grenades rolled past. They were dwarfed by the series of missiles that paraded by, each larger than the last and emblazoned with a Korean People's Army slogan: 'Defeat the U.S. military. U.S. soldiers are the Korean People's Army's enemy.'

Dazzling: The grand finale lit up the skies of capital Pyongyang

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Light show: The parade culminated in a massive fireworks display 

However, the parade was probably less about threatening the U.S. than about introducing the heir to the North Korean people and building up his image as the next leader, according to Baek Seung-joo, a North Korea analyst at South Korea's Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

'The parade is not aimed at showing off North Korea's military might,' he said.

One thing was clear: The regime wanted the world to see the man dubbed the 'Young General,' and was willing to invite in international journalists to capture the moment after more than two years of virtually closing its borders to foreign media.

A select group of media outlets was allowed into the country to cover the festivities, and were given front-row seats at the two events where the Kims appeared: a performance of the Arirang mass games spectacle Saturday and the military parade.

The question of who will take over leadership of the nuclear-armed nation of 24 million has been a pressing one since Kim Jong Il reportedly suffered a stroke in 2008.

Eclipsed: Barely a spot of pavement could be seen on Kim II Sung Square during the gala titled Do Prosper, Era of Workers' Party

Turning blue: Only select media were allowed to cover the celebration

The leader's Swiss-educated youngest son had emerged in recent months as the rumored front-runner to inherit the mantle of leadership, despite his youth and inexperience.

There were reports that children were singing odes to 'the Young Commander' and that his January birthday had been made a national holiday like those of his father and grandfather.

He won his first military post with the promotion to general late last month, and was appointed during the nation's biggest political convention in 30 years to the Workers' Party's central military commission, as well as the party's Central Committee - strong signs he was being groomed to eventually succeed his father.

Kim Jong Il himself became leader when Kim Il Sung died in 1994 in what was the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.

Kim Il Sung was a former guerrilla who fought against Japan's colonization of Korea and built a cult of personality around himself and his son after founding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948.