Thousands celebrate Pyongyang’s nuclear test

SEOUL - Agance France-Presse

AP Photo

More than 100,000 troops and civilians staged a mass rally in Pyongyang to celebrate North Korea’s nuclear test and praise the “matchless” bravery of leader Kim Jong-Un, state media said Feb. 15.

The rally in the capital’s sprawling Kim Il-sung square on Feb. 14 was attended by top party and military officials, as well as police workers and students, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Kim did not attend

A number of speakers addressed the rally, praising the nuclear test as the “brilliant fruition of the extraordinary decision and matchless gut of the dear respected Kim Jong-Un,” KCNA said, in reference to the leader’s courage. The young leader did not attend the rally.

It was the North’s third test, following previous detonations in 2006 and 2009, and seismic data suggested it was significantly more powerful.

“It serves as a striking demonstration of the might of a scientific, technological and a military power capable of manufacturing any strike,” KCNA said.

North Korea said the test was a direct response to U.N. sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its long-range rocket launch in December.