South Korea Holds First Military Parade in 10 Years

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Facts

• South Korea held its first large-scale military parade in a decade on Tuesday to mark the country's Armed Forces Day with a range of weapons and machinery marched through the streets of the capital city of Seoul.¹
• The parade reportedly displayed hundreds of pieces of military equipment — such as tanks, self-propelled artillery, and drones — and featured thousands of soldiers, including 300 of the 28.5K US troops stationed in the nation.¹
• The celebrations, which mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country’s armed forces, come as tensions rise on the Korean peninsula, with South Korea turning closer to its alliances with the US and Japan as North Korea advances its weapons program.²
• Some are concerned about a potential weapons exchange between Moscow and Pyongyang after North Korea's Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia’s far eastern region to meet with Pres. Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites earlier this month.³
• Earlier this year, South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol and his US counterpart Joe Biden announced a new agreement, including a US pledge to station a nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea for the first time in three decades.²
• Yoon, Biden, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida also held a summit last month, where they agreed to new military exercises and a hotline for urgent communications.²

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²CNN and ³Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Ctvnews. While this parade is projecting an image of the strength and unity of South Korea and its military allies, the biggest impact is not going to be felt internationally but instead domestically. The elaborate display of the parade and its celebrations show the South Korean people that their country is now an important global power and underlines the success of the country's defense exports industry.
• Narrative B, as provided by CNN. The arms race in Asia risks spiraling out of control, with the US and its allies Japan and South Korea, China and its partnership with Russia, and North Korea each vying for control of contentious land and sea areas. With no measures of restraint or arms control, the situation is likely to continue to worsen, as deterrence and escalation are often one and the same.

Predictions