North Korea Holds Military Parade Before Start of Winter Olympics

 

North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang Thursday, one day before the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

South Korean sources say tens of thousands of people were part of or attended the parade and gathering¹ in the city’s Kim Il Sung Square. The event marked the 70th anniversary of the creation of North Korea’s military.

The nation normally marks April 25 as the day when Kim, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un, established the first revolutionary army. But the government announced last month that it was moving the celebration to February 8.

Some observers say the North Korean move appeared to be an attempt to get international attention before the start of the Olympics in South Korea.

Military parades in North Korea usually involve goose-stepping soldiers and military vehicles carrying new weapons. The Associated Press reported that the parade on Thursday was shorter than earlier ones. It also had fewer missiles than the last parade, held in April 2017. At that time, North Korea showed off five new kinds of missiles.

In a speech Thursday, Kim Jong Un said the parade marks North Korea’s rise as a “global military power” at a time of what he called the “worst sanctions.” He called on the military to continue a high level of battle readiness against the United States and its followers².

Kim’s comments were in line with his latest foreign policy moves. He has been making a diplomatic push toward South Korea since he offered to send a delegation³ to the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

The North Korean leader made the offer in a New Year’s Day speech. South Korean President Moon Jae-in was quick to accept the offer.

The delegation includes Kim’s sister and 22 athletes who will march with South Korean athletes under a unified⁴ flag.

Military parade to come in the U.S.

President Donald Trump⁵ announced plans this week for a military parade in Washington, D.C. Trump said he wants a parade to top the one he watched during Bastille Day celebrations in France last year.

The Defense⁶ Department is now working on plans for such an event. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis confirmed that a military parade could be in the works.

“We’ve been putting together some options, and we’ll send them up to the White House for a decision.”

Mattis told reporters that the idea for a parade came from Trump’s love for U.S. troops.

Not all Americans approve of the proposal. Paul Eaton served as a Major General in the U.S. Army. He is now retired⁷.

“This is not about the troops. This is about assuaging⁸ the commander-in-chief’s ego⁹, and it’s a fragile one at that.

He added that the troops have more important things to do.

Large military parades are rare in the United States. The most recent one was held in the early 1990s to celebrate U.S. troops after Iraq was defeated in the Gulf¹⁰ War.

Critics say military parades are more often tied to dictatorships, like in North Korea and the former Soviet¹¹ Union, which long ago held large military celebrations.

Last year, Chinese officials invited President Trump to a military parade during his visit to China.

Military parades can be costly¹². In the United States, finding the money for such an event could prove difficult. The Washington, D.C., mayor’s office has already said Trump will have to find the money for such an event.

Words in This Story

source – n. someone or something that provided what is needed

goose-stepping – adj. involving a way of marching by kicking one’s legs very high and not bending one’s knees

global – adj. of or relating to the whole world

sanction – n. an action taken by one or more countries to make another country honor a rule

athlete – n. a person who is skilled in exercises or a sport

assuaging – v. to reduce the intensity¹³ of something

ego – n. the opinion that you have about yourself

fragile – adj. weak

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 assuaging   

v.减轻( assuage的现在分词 )；缓和；平息；使安静

参考例句：

• The structure, aimed at assuaging concerns about Indonesian law, is commonly deployed. 该结构旨在规避印尼法律，目前得到广泛使用。 来自互联网
• In assuaging these worries, governments will have to balance two risks. 为了安抚这些忧虑，政府必须平衡两个风险。 来自互联网

9 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

10 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

11 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

12 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

13 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。