NORTH KOREA CELEBRATES 85 MILITARY ANNIVERSARY|北韓建軍節未閱兵 各國關注是否核試

On Apr 25, the 85th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's military, global attention was centered on whether Pyongyang would undertake nuclear tests or other acts of provocation in light of escalated tensions in the past month. Here's our report. On Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, soldiers of the Korean People's Army and citizens placed floral tributes at the foot of giant statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. ==NORTH KOREAN== Our great leader founded our nation and led our revolutionary army. Under the leadership of our beloved leader, we still celebrate this day even if the situation is intense. A group of women clad in traditional garmentS danced to the music in front of the Pyongyang Grand Theatre, but outside North Korea, everyone's concern is whether North Korea will carry out a nuclear test to mark the anniversary of the founding of its army as it has done in the past. The US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was previously sent to the region and took part in joint drills with the Japan Self-Defense Force. On April 25th, the nuclear-powered US submarine USS Michigan also made a port call at Busan, South Korea. The submarine was designed to carry up to 24 ballistic missiles, but it has since been upgraded and is now capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. Even so, the vessel still boasts enough space to carry special forces and midget submarines for investigation, explosion and assassination missions. So far, however, North Korea hasn't carried out any nuclear test nor act of provocation. China, meanwhile, has called on relevant countries to exercise restraint. ==YOJI KODA former ensign, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force== The strategies toward North Korea should be flexible especially when China has made some move. There will be no immediate effect, so a follow-up observation is needed. According to Oilprice.com, a US website which tracks international energy trends, North Korea's oil price has surged by 83% in the past 3 days. Many believe this is due to China, the isolated nation's only source of oil, imposing a sanction on North Korea, which shows that while it is still in China's interest that the regime in Pyongyang remains stable, denuclearization has also become an increasingly important agenda for Beijing. TRANSLATED BY：BRYANT CHANG