The North Korean festivities were to be highlighted by a military parade Thursday evening in the capital, Pyongyang, where Kim – possibly in the presence of Shoigu and a visiting Chinese ruling party official – could showcase his most powerful, nuclear-capable missiles designed to threaten neighboring rivals and the United States.

North Korea’s state media had not confirmed plans for a military parade. But two South Korean government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide background information, said the parade likely started at around 8 p.m. (0700EST/1100 GMT) with warm-up events and was ongoing as of 9:50 p.m.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim and Shoigu talked Wednesday in Pyongyang and reached a consensus on unspecified “matters of mutual concern in the field of national defense and security and on the regional and international security environment.”

North Korea has been aligning with Russia over the war in Ukraine, insisting that the “hegemonic policy” of the U.S.-led West forced Moscow to take military action to protect its security interests. The Biden administration has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia to aid its fighting in Ukraine, although the North has denied the claim.

During the meeting, Shoigu conveyed to Kim a “warm and good letter” signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, KCNA said.

The meeting will help to “further boost the strategic and tactical collaboration and cooperation between the two countries in the field of national defense and security,” KCNA said.

In a rare case of diplomatic opening since the start of the pandemic, North Korea invited delegations from Russia and China to attend the events marking the armistice of July 27, 1953. While the truce left the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war, the North still sees it as a victory in the “Grand Fatherland Liberation War.”

KCNA said Kim also took Shoigu to an arms exhibition that showcased some of North Korea’s newest weapons and briefed him on national plans to expand the country’s military capabilities. State media photos and video from the exhibition showed Kim and Shoigu walking near a row of large missiles mounted on launcher trucks.

Some of the weapons in the images appeared to be intercontinental ballistic missiles that the North has flight-tested in recent months as it pursues an arsenal that can pose a viable threat to the continental United States. Kim and Shoigu also walked past what were possibly new surveillance and attack drones that had not been publicly announced by the North.

Lee Sung Joon, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a briefing that the South Korean military was analyzing the military assets shown in the North Korean photos but did not share specific assessments.

When asked about the possibility that Shoigu’s visit was to discuss importing weapons from North Korea, John Kirby, the White House’s National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, didn’t answer directly but said it was clear Putin is reaching out to other countries for support in fighting his war in Ukraine.

“Mr. Putin knows he’s having his own defense procurement problems, his own inventory problems, that his military remains on the back foot, and he’s trying to shore that up,” Kirby said.

Some experts say North Korea sees U.S. confrontations with China and Russia over regional influence and the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to break out of diplomatic isolation and insert itself into a united front against Washington. Both Moscow and Beijing have been derailing U.S. efforts to strengthen U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea over its flurry of missile tests since 2022.

The last time North Korea invited foreign government delegates for a military parade was in February 2018, when it held a low-key event that excluded Kim’s ICBMs. North Korea at the time was initiating diplomacy with Seoul and Washington as Kim attempted to leverage his nuclear program for badly needed economic benefits.

Those efforts led to a summit between Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump that June, but the diplomacy collapsed after their second meeting in February 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of their nuclear capabilities.

Kim has since ramped up the development of the nuclear arms that he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival while berating “gangster-like” U.S. sanctions and pressure.

Beijing’s delegation to North Korea is headed by mid-level official Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of China’s ruling Communist Party.

Kim met Li during an anniversary concert that began at midnight and was handed a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, KCNA said. During a separate reception hosted by senior North Korean officials, Li said in a speech that China was ready to promote the “sound and stable” development of relations with the North.

Analysts say Kim sharing the center stage with Shoigu and Li at a military parade would be a key accomplishment he could show to his domestic audience as well as a statement of defiance toward the United States.

On Wednesday, Shoigu also held talks with North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam that were aimed at “strengthening cooperation between our defense departments,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

KCNA reported that Kang while hosting a reception for Shoigu expressed support for the “just struggle of the Russian army” to defend the country’s sovereignty and security, in an apparent reference to Russia’s war on Ukraine. The agency said Shoigu during the event praised the North Korean People’s Army under the leadership of Kim, saying it “has become the strongest army in the world.” Russian media reports did not include that comment.

The Korean War was triggered by a surprise North Korean attack on the South in June 1950. The North was supported by Chinese troops and the then-Soviet air force. South Korea, the United States, and troops from various nations under the direction of the United Nations fought to push back the invasion.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol marked the armistice anniversary by visiting a cemetery in the port city of Busan that honors the U.N. troops who died during the war.

“The Republic of Korea of today stands on the sacrifice, dedication and blood-drenched uniforms of U.N. soldiers,” Yoon said in a speech, referring to South Korea’s formal name.

In the face of growing North Korean threats, Yoon has pushed to expand South Korea’s military exercises with the United States and is seeking stronger U.S. reassurances that it would swiftly and decisively use its nuclear capabilities to defend the South in the event of a nuclear attack.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the launches were made from the southwestern coastal town of Jangyon from 7:41 a.m. to 7:51 a.m., and it assessed that the missiles flew across North Korea before landing in the sea off that country’s east coast.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean military had boosted its surveillance posture and maintained readiness in close coordination with the United States.

Pyongyang could further escalate its weapons tests over the coming days in a tit-for-tat response to the allies’ military drills, which are planned to run until March 23. Last week North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops to be ready to repel what he called the “frantic war preparations moves” by the country’s rivals.

On Monday, North Korea said it had test-fired two cruise missiles from a submarine, the first time it is known to have conducted a launch of that type. Its previous underwater launches all involved ballistic missiles. It was also the first time North Korea fired multiple missiles from a submarine in a single launch event, observers said.

The North implied the cruise missiles were being developed to carry nuclear warheads and claimed that the latest test verified the posture of the country’s “nuclear war deterrence.”

North Korea acquiring submarine-launched missile systems is an alarming development for the United States and South Korea because launches would be harder to detect and it would provide the North retaliatory second attack capability.

Experts say it would take years, extensive resources and major technological improvements for the heavily sanctioned nation to build a fleet of several submarines that could travel quietly and reliably execute strikes.

The U.S.-South Korean joint exercises that started Monday are the largest in years and and included a computer-simulated command post training. The drills are designed to sharpen the allies’ response to North Korea’s growing nuclear threat and other changing security environments.

The countries have been expanding their drills since last year as North Korea test-fired more than 70 missiles in 2022. Those included intercontinental ballistic missiles with the potential range to reach the U.S. mainland and short-range, nuclear-capable missiles that could target South Korea.

The latest launch came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further boost his military capability at a high-profile ruling party conference last week.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward its eastern waters on Wednesday morning. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were trying to analyze more information about the launch.

The Japanese Defense Ministry also detected the North Korean launch, saying the country likely fired a missile.

“We find it truly regrettable that North Korea has continued to fire missiles from last year,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

Kishida said other details about the North Korean launch weren’t immediately available, including where the suspected missile landed and whether there had been any damage. He said he ordered officials to confirm the safety of ships and planes in the area where the suspected missile likely flew and fell.

Wednesday’s launch is the first such firing since North Korea tested a series of newly developed weapons between September and November including nuclear-capable missiles that place South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies in the region, within striking distance. Some experts said North Korea was applying more pressure on its rivals to accept it as a nuclear power state and to ease international sanctions on the country.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it is open to resuming nuclear diplomacy with North Korea “anywhere and at any time” without preconditions. The North has so far rebuffed such overtures, saying U.S. hostility remains unchanged.

U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear program collapsed in 2019 due to wrangling over how much sanctions relief should be given to the North in return for dismantling its main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step. Kim has since threatened to enlarge his nuclear and missile arsenals.

During last week’s plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party, Kim repeated his vows to boost his country’s military capacity and ordered the production of more powerful, sophisticated weapons systems. State media dispatches on the meeting said North Korea set forth “tactical directions” for North Korea’s external relations including with South Korea, but didn’t elaborate. It made no mention of the United States.’

Last month, Kim marked 10 years in power. Since assuming control after his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Il’s death in December 2011, Kim Jong Un has established absolute power at home and bolstered his nuclear and missile arsenals. But his country’s economy has been battered severely by the coronavirus pandemic, U.N. sanctions and mismanagement, though few experts question his grip on power.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that “an unidentified projectile” fired from an inland location in North Korea flew toward the country’s eastern sea Tuesday morning. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing details of the launch.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile but gave no further details.

Earlier this month, North Korea performed tests of ballistic and cruise missiles in its first such launches in six months, displaying an ability to attack South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies.

But last Friday and Saturday, North Korea reached out to South Korea, saying it’s open to resuming talks and reconciliatory steps if conditions are met. Some experts said North Korea wants South Korea to play a role in winning relief from U.S.-led sanctions or other concessions.

U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed hopes to sit down for talks with North Korea but have also made it clear they will continue sanctions until the North takes concrete steps toward denuclearization.

A U.S.-led diplomatic effort aimed at convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons in return for economic and political benefits remain stalled after 2½ years. A main sticking point is a dispute over U.S.-led sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests.