South Korean military authorities said that signs have been detected suggesting North Korea held a military parade in the early hours of Saturday to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the parade may have taken place at Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square at dawn with a large amount of equipment and personnel mobilized.

The JCS said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing the event including the possibility that it could be the main event and not a rehearsal.

The military did not mention a specific time but is known to be leaning toward the likelihood that it was indeed the main event. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is presumed to have attended. 

South Korean officials are in the process of examining the military hardware mobilized for the parade. North Korea was expected to roll out new strategic weapons such as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

The regime has customarily held military parades at around 10 a.m. in the past. No state media outlets including the Korean Central Television have issued any reports about the parade as of Saturday afternoon.

[Photo : YONHAP News]