Long-range missiles missing from North Korea anniversary parade

North Korea staged a huge military parade on Sunday to mark 70 years since the country’s founding, but it held back its most advanced missiles to avoid jeopardizing ongoing talks with the U.S.

North Korea has long used parades to display the strength of its military, having most recently held one of February of this year. But the parade on Sunday didn’t include intercontinental ballistic missiles that are believed to be able to reach the continental United States.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the parade but reportedly did not address the crowd.

{mosads}Sunday’s parade also emphasized the country’s economy in addition to showcasing its military capabilities. A parade float at the event displayed a slogan of “All our might to build economy!” according to Reuters.

Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’s titular head of state, said during a speech at the parade that the country had achieved its status as a military power and would now be focusing on strengthening its domestic economy, the news service reported.

Sunday’s parade came after President Trump last month asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to put off a high-level visit with North Korea. Pompeo was scheduled to make the trip in August as a follow-up on a framework agreement that Trump reached with Kim Jong Un during a summit in Singapore this summer.

However, Trump days ago praised the North Korean leader, touting him for saying he wants to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula during Trump’s first term as president. A South Korean envoy said last Friday that Kim told Trump he wanted to denuclearize North Korea before Trump’s current term as president ends in early 2021, The New York Times reported.

“Just moments ago they put on that he said very strongly that we want to denuclearize North Korea during President Trump’s tenure … just said it, just said it,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Montana.

— This report was updated at 8:41 a.m.