Hundreds of North Koreans appear to have begun marching training for a paramilitary parade scheduled to be held in the capital next month, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery.

PlanetLabs satellite imagery shows what appear to be troops in lines and block formations at the Mirim military parade training complex in Pyongyang on Aug. 17. The base is a replica of Kim Il Sung Square, where North Korea regularly holds military and paramilitary parades.

Satellite imagery showing troop formations marching through the Mirim training grounds, Aug. 17 | Image: PlanetLabs, edited by NK Pro

The apparent marching practice comes a week after DPRK state media announced that the country will hold a paramilitary parade to mark the 75th anniversary of North Korea’s foundation on Sept. 9.

The four block formations visible in satellite imagery likely contain around 144 people each based on images of previous paramilitary parades, but the total number of participants remains difficult to ascertain due to low visibility.

There are no signs of armed vehicles or heavy weaponry at the parade training complex, but the imagery does show what appears to be trucks, likely used to transport personnel during training.

The April 25 Hotel located next to the Mirim training base also saw an increase in vehicle activity in recent days, including the arrival of large buses that may have transported participants to Pyongyang for the parade training.

Satellite imagery showing the difference in the number of vehicles near the April 25 Hotel on Aug. 4 and Aug. 17 | Image: PlanetLabs, edited by NK Pro

But the hotel’s parking lot, which normally fills up with buses ahead of major events in Pyongyang, remained empty, suggesting parade preparations remain in an initial phase.

The DPRK last held a paramilitary parade on the same holiday in 2021. The “parade of paramilitary and public security forces” took place at night and featured army troops, police special forces, as well as armed students marching through Kim Il Sung Square.

Last year, North Korean authorities staged a large-scale outdoor concert in front of the Mansudae Assembly Hall in central Pyongyang on the Sept. 9 holiday.

Preparations for the upcoming paramilitary parade come less than a month after the DPRK held a large-scale parade on July 27 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, rolling out new advanced drones and the country’s largest nuclear missiles.

North Korean paramilitary parades are typically smaller in scale and do not feature larger weapons. The upcoming parade will be the DPRK’s third this year and its seventh since 2020.

Meanwhile, the South Korean National Intelligence Service has assessed that Pyongyang could make a second attempt at launching a military spy satellite into orbit ahead of the celebrations on Sept. 9.

Edited by Bryan Betts