SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has held a commemorative parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, involving columns symbolic of units fought in the war, state media reported Tuesday.

Leader Kim Jong-un attended the event the previous day, flanked by senior party, government and military officials, along with war veterans, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Diplomats from China and Russia stationed in Pyongyang were also present.

The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, halting the war. North Korea has observed the date as Victory Day since 1996, claiming it won the war against U.S.-led forces.

The parade featured formations reenacting North Korean military units from the war, according to the report, followed by marching units representing the country's modern ground, naval and air forces.

Kim "extended warm militant encouragement to the invincible elite ranks and representatives of the matchless army who newly defined the concept of the strong army and the law of victory, and placed the absolute might of the revolutionary armed forces at the peak of honour with loyalty to the Party and the country, ardent patriotism, mass heroism and indomitable fighting spirit peculiar to the army," the report said.

North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol delivered a speech, saying the military would continue leading the country into what he described as an unprecedented era of national strength.

Monday's ceremony, according to the KCNA, reflected the younger generation's resolve to add new "great victories" to the "immortal feats of the victorious wartime generation" and to "usher in the era of building a prosperous power unprecedented in history."

A separate dispatch reported on a commemorative gala Kim attended, where performers honored the wartime role of the Chinese People's Volunteers through film and song. Photos released by the KNCA showed his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Kim Ju-ae, with him.

The report said the audience was "deeply touched" by footage depicting the sacrifice of Chinese soldiers who fought alongside North Korean forces.

The North Korea-China "friendship based on the shared ideal and militant fraternity will be immortal along with the history of the great war victory," according to the report, using the occasion to underscore the deepening ties between Pyongyang and Beijing.

Kim visited national cemeteries honoring fallen soldiers, including Chinese troops, on Sunday. Among them was a cemetery holding the remains of 134 Chinese soldiers, where he paid his respects. The KCNA cast their sacrifice as the foundation for the friendship between the two nations.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr

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