North Korea Puts On Military Show Of Strength
Thousands of soldiers are taking part and the country is showing off its military hardware to the world in the event, which was briefly delayed - apparently by rain.
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Sky News Defence Correspondent Ali Bunkall, who is in Pyongyang, says that in recent days large groups have been practising choreographed dance moves in open city spaces and commuters have been buying plastic commemorative flowers on their way home.
Banners have been hung all across the city in anticipation.
Bunkall says the parade is a major event for North Korea - "nothing can go wrong, it must be perfect," he was told by one person.
As he watched the parade, Bunkall said: "There must be tens of thousands of soldiers who are here. They have been marching past us in perfect formation, perfect choreography.
"It is a message to the world…but also it's intended for a domestic audience, it reinforces Kim Jong Un’s military credentials. It is intended to show him as a strong leader within North Korea."
In a speech that was interrupted several times by applause, Kim had told the crowd: "Our revolutionary force is ready to respond to any kind of war the American imperialists want.
"Through the line of Songun (military-first) politics, our Korean People's Army has become the strongest revolutionary force and our country has become an impenetrable fortress and a global military power."
After his speech, thousands of soldiers help up coloured cards to spell out "Songun politics" and "Defending our homeland."
Foreign delegates and journalists were among those in the capital Pyongyang to witness the spectacle in the central Kim Il-sung Square.
It was anticipated the parade would begin around 10am Pyongyang time, but even by late morning, as a light rain fell, officials had not distributed a final schedule - unusual in North Korea.
Convoys of trucks carrying soldiers had been seen moving towards the centre of Pyongyang.
State Television News had been running pictures this morning of North Korea's Leader Kim Jong-Un meeting a delegation from the Chinese government.
There had been a suggestion North Korea could use the occasion to launch a missile test, although that is doubtful now.
Any move would almost certainly be met with a reaction from Washington and that would probably mean a tightening of sanctions, which have already had a considerable effect on the country.