North Korea strengthens position through military, diplomacy

North Korea held a large-scale military parade on the night of Oct. 10 at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang to mark the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party. The event showcased the new intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-20, hypersonic missiles, and modernized conventional forces, including the Chonma-20 tank and drone launch vehicles. On the reviewing stand, Kim Jong Un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission, was flanked by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Vo Van Thuong, and Dmitry Medvedev, vice chairman of Russia’s Security Council.

The parade highlighted North Korea’s “survival diplomacy.” Last month, Kim appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during China’s Victory Day parade. Just over a month later, he recreated the scene in Pyongyang with China and Russia’s second-in-command at his sides, positioning North Korea at the center of the anti-Western bloc. The country also welcomed delegations from more than 10 nations, including Vietnam and Laos, signaling it is no longer isolated. By displaying its “most powerful nuclear strategic weapons,” North Korea asserted its de facto nuclear status. Kim pledged to continue strengthening the country’s defense and said North Korea would fulfill its responsibilities in opposing injustice and hegemony.

North Korea’s elevated profile reflects confidence gained from its advanced nuclear and missile capabilities, allowing it to navigate the emerging new Cold War between the United States and China. The country has employed high-stakes tactics, including Russian troop deployments and indirect approaches to China via Russia, demonstrating its characteristic survival strategy. While this diplomatic leap shows strategic skill, Kim Jong Un is likely aware that the high point may be followed by an uncertain decline. How this elevated stance will shape future diplomacy remains to be seen.

In August, the Foreign Ministry held a bureau-level meeting emphasizing “preemptive diplomatic responses” toward rival nations, signaling an assertive approach. Just as Kim Jong Un orchestrated a dramatic pivot from near-war conditions eight years ago to dialogue after declaring North Korea’s nuclear program complete, he may stage another transformation. He has already left open the possibility of talks with U.S. President Donald Trump if the United States relaxes its insistence on denuclearization. Questions remain about whether Seoul and Washington are adequately coordinating in anticipation of any sudden North Korea-U.S. negotiations.