North Korea stages massive military parade

In a carefully choreographed show of strength and celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, hundreds of troops marched in elaborate formations across Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, which was festooned with national and party flags.

Female soldiers in North Korea’s military parade in September 2013

Presiding over a massive military parade in the nation's capital, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched the extravaganza from a viewing platform and gave a rare live televised speech. Last year, Kim didn't show during a mysterious absence that lasted over a month.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

Foreign dignitaries – including a delegation from China – media and tourists gathered in Pyongyang for the spectacle, which saw fighter jets flying in a "70" formation.

Spectators at a North Korean military parade

The preparations for the Workers' Party of Korea anniversary appear to have begun as early as May, when satellite images captured approximately 45 tents assembled at a former Pyongyang airbase. By October, that area had swelled to about 800 tents, 700 trucks and 200 armored vehicles, with people appearing to move in formations.

The Monument to Party Founding in Pyongyang, North Korea, erected in 1995

The parade is one of North Korea's most significant holidays -- next to the birthdays of the country's founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il. The Workers' Party of Korea is the political party that governs and runs North Korea.

The Workers' Party was founded 70 years ago, after World War II and following the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea. With the Korean peninsula in disarray, a group chaired by Kim Il Sung in the north formed the Communist political party that came to be known as the Workers' Party of Korea.

The division of Korea into South Korea and North Korea was the result of the 1945 Allied victory in World War II; the Korean peninsula is now divided along the demarcation line

Kim held control of the party, and his heirs, son Kim Jong Il and grandson Kim Jong Un, have held the central role in the party, although their official titles have all differed. Kim Jong Un retains the title of first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)