PYONGYANG, Oct. 10, 2010 (Xinhua) --

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday held a grand military parade to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

Top leader Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the WPK and chairman of the National Defense Commission of the DPRK, appeared in front of cheering crowds at the massive ceremony in central Pyongyang, which featured phalanxes of cadets, soldiers and tanks, missiles and other military hardware.

Also present were Kim Jong Un, one of the two newly-elected vice chairmen of the WPK's Central Military Commission; Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK; and many other senior officials.

Beside Kim Jong Il on the rostrum was Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, who arrived here Saturday morning for a three-day official visit.

Ri Yong Ho, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) and the other vice chairman of the WPK's Central Military Commission, reviewed the troops by car before the parade started.

Should the DPRK come under attack, the KPA will smash the enemies with merciless and just retaliatory strikes, the vice marshal said, adding that the country faces a splendid future under the leadership of the WPK.

"The KPA will always keep itself fully alerted as required by the tense situation," he said.

"If the U.S. imperialists and their followers encroach upon the sovereignty and dignity of the country even a bit, it will blow up the strongholds of the aggressors by merciless and just retaliatory blows with all physical means including nuclear deterrent for self-defence involved..." he said.

When paraders goose-stepped and vehicles rolled in front of the reviewing stand to the accompaniment of music performed by a military band, Kim Jong Il and others saluted them from time to time.

Thousands of people watched the procession on the platforms below the rostrum, and some hundreds of thousands of others assembled on Kim Il Sung Square across the parade route, waving bouquets from time to time during the ceremony.

Following the parade, Kim Jong Il waved to the watching crowd, which burst into deafening applause and cheers.

The military might show was the climax following days of celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the founding of the WPK, which has been ruling the DPRK since the northeastern Asian country was established in 1948.

A mass gymnastic and artistic show named Arirang with more than 100,000 performers was staged in Pyongyang on Saturday. Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un and Zhou Yongkang watched the program, which showcased the DPRK's achievements in socialist construction and the DPRK people's love of the motherland, aspiration for reunification and hope for peace.

Also to celebrate the occasion, a large-scale national meeting and a firework gala were held respectively on Saturday and Friday night in a festive Pyongyang, where the streets have been decorated with flags of the WPK and the DPRK as well as placards reading "Celebration," "Iron-willed Party" and "Invincible Party."

  Editor: Deng Shasha