North Korea appears to stage night-time military parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Credit: AP Photo

North Korea appears to have staged a large night-time military parade of a type it has used in the past to unveil new military hardware, including large ballistic missiles, South Korean and other media focused on the country reported on Thursday.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the parade appeared to have taken place in Pyongyang on September 9 local time, while the specialist NK News online publication quoted multiple informed sources as saying a parade had been due to start at midnight local time. September 9 is North Korea's national day.

In a tweet, NK News said citizens were seen late in the evening preparing for the parade near Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square. It said roads were closed and no regular vehicles seen.