N. Korea marks party anniversary on modest scale

Seoul, October 11 - North Korea observed the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea with a modest-scale celebration, according to state media. The event took place at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on the previous day and featured patriotic songs, acrobatics, and dance, emphasizing loyalty to the party and leader Kim Jong-un, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The KCNA further reported that Kim, who was described as representing the dignity and might of the nation, waved to the audience as a symbol of his congratulations to all participants on the party's founding day and expressed satisfaction with the performance. Diplomatic envoys, foreign mission members, senior party and military officials, and Pyongyang citizens were present at the event.

This year's anniversary events were on a smaller scale, marking a departure from the large-scale military parades, mass gymnastics displays, and weapons exhibitions typically associated with anniversaries ending in zero or five. The KCNA noted that such milestone years are traditionally marked with grand displays in North Korea.

Last year, North Korea staged a massive late-night military parade at Kim Il Sung Square, featuring the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile. Party officials visited the Party Founding Museum, where they received briefings on Kim's planned October 2025 visit to the museum, though the exact timing of the visit was not specified.

The report stated that Kim is leading a "great heyday" in building the party in the new era and achieving comprehensive national rejuvenation.