A building North Korean leader Kim Jong Un uses to observe large-scale military parade drills has been demolished, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, in a possible early sign of preparations for a parade this year.

The four-story observation tower at the Mirim military parade training complex appears to have been taken down between Feb. 8 and 19, Planet Labs imagery shows.

The building has served a significant role at major Kim Jong Un events over the years, and state TV suggested in 2022 that he used it frequently to watch over weeks of drills for a parade that April.

He renovated the building in a neoclassical style last year ahead of making it the backdrop for a tactical nuclear missile deployment ceremony in August.

Outside observers view DPRK military parades as opportunities to gain insights about the country’s secretive weapons programs and future development plans, but the last such event was in July 2023 (a smaller-scale paramilitary parade took place in Sept. 2023).

The building’s demolition may be part of plans to renovate or otherwise upgrade a larger area of the complex, which is a 1:1 scale replica of downtown Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square, where actual military parades usually take place. 

The mock square and roads were already repaved in June and July last year, though likely in relation to preparing for the missile ceremony.

A likely date for a parade this year is Oct. 10, the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s (WPK). State media has been mentioning the holiday as a landmark date to work toward this year, and a parade took place on the 75th anniversary in 2020.

Precedent suggests that if a parade is indeed scheduled for October, thousands of troops will arrive at the Mirim complex for daily training around seven to 10 weeks prior to the next event, or sometime in August. But this also depends on whether construction at the site disrupts normal schedules.

Alternatively, the observation tower’s demolition could be part of a simpler project to only replace the one building. 

This would still suggest plans to utilize the training complex soon, either for typical military parade drills or a special event like the missile deployment ceremony last year.

It’s also possible that larger parts of the complex will be demolished to make way for a new project, with military parade training ceasing entirely or moving to a new location, though these scenarios are less likely than a renovation.

Edited by Alannah Hill