The military hardware displayed at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, named after Kim's grandfather and North Korea's late founder, included intercontinental ballistic missiles that could one day be capable of reaching targets as far away as the continental United States, and solid-fuel missiles that could be fired from land and submarines.
On Monday, a senior South Korean official said China had agreed to slap tougher sanctions on North Korea, through a stronger United Nations resolution, if it carries out nuclear or long-range missile tests. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appeared in a massive parade.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida made the comment to reporters Saturday just as a massive parade started in North Korea marking the 105th birthday of the country's late founder, Kim Il Sung.
Ranking Workers' Party official Choe Ryong-hae delivered congratulatory remarks, saying that North Korea is ready for war if the USA wages a reckless provocation.
But experts say a military strike by the United States remains unlikely, partly because it is not clear where to strike, and partly because North Korea would probably respond with a devastating attack on the South Korean capital Seoul. Analysts say commercial satellite images from recent weeks indicate increased activity around North Korea's nuclear test site.
Mr Trump, who has urged China to do more to rein in its impoverished ally and neighbour, said in a tweet that North Korea was "looking for trouble" and the United States would "solve the problem" with or without Beijing's help. It has warned of a nuclear attack on the United States in retaliation for any sign of aggression, a threat that has been made numerous times in the past.
"Trump is always making provocations with his aggressive words", Han said. Amid rising regional tensions, Pyongyang residents have been preparing for North Korea's most important.
However, North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests, two of them past year, and is working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the USA, presenting Mr Trump with perhaps his most pressing security headache.
The Pentagon sent a Navy strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier toward the Korean Peninsula over the weekend to "maintain readiness" amid concerns the regime in Pyongyang could be preparing for more missile launches and a possible sixth nuclear test.
Tensions are deepening as the USA has sent an aircraft carrier to waters off the peninsula and is conducting its biggest-ever joint military exercises with South Korea.
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The parade, an elaborate display of the state's huge power, involves tens of thousands of participants, from goose-stepping soldiers to crowds of civilians who have spent weeks perfecting their ability to wave plastic flowers in unison. Expectations are high the North may put its newest missiles on display during a military parade that could be held to mark the event.
State television showed what appeared to be several KN-08 and KN-14 missiles rolled out on trucks at the parade.
Many North Korea watchers believe North Korea could have a viable nuclear warhead and a ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland on Trump's watch as president within the next few years.
The parade also included large rockets covered by canisters in two different types of transporter erector launcher trucks, or TELs. An official from South Korea's Defense Ministry couldn't immediately confirm whether the rocket was a new ICBM. This would allow North Korea to prevent its limited number of ICBM-capable launcher trucks from being damaged during launches and also make the missiles harder to detect after they're fired, he said.
"Not only is Washington brimming with confidence and arrogance following the missile attacks on Syria, but Trump is also willing to be regarded as a man who honors his promises", the paper wrote.
Kim, the analyst, said it's likely that North Korea is also developing solid-fuel ICBMs, and that some of the rockets inside the canisters on Saturday might have been prototypes.
Other military hardware at the parade included tanks, multiple rocket launchers and artillery guns, as well as a solid-fuel missile created to be fired from submarines.
In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that North Korea's preparations for an ICBM launch have "reached the final stage".
Kim Jong Un, a 30-something leader who took power in late 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, emphasizes nuclear weapons as the foundation of his national defense strategy. The country under his watch has been aggressively pursuing a goal of putting a nuclear warhead on an ICBM capable of reaching the continental United States. North Korean then fired the missile at a lofted angle for testing purposes.
A surprise at the parade was the appearance of Kim Won Hong, who was among the senior government officials joining Kim Jong Un at the podium. These missiles concern South Korea because they're harder to detect before launch than liquid-fuel missiles, which need to be filled with fuel before launch and also require fuel trucks and other vehicles that could be spotted by satellites. South Korea has a spotty record of tracking developments in North Korea, as information about the secretive, authoritarian state is often impossible to confirm.
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