“Massive” N. Korean troop deployment near Pyongyang

A “massive” deployment of North Korean troops and arms, including armoured vehicles and artillery, has been detected near the capital, Pyongyang.

The deployment appears to be related to political events such as a meeting of key communist party delegates next month and the party’s 65th anniversary on October 10, a ministry spokesman told AFP.

“The massive deployment of troops could be designed to show their military power at home and abroad, or for security,” he said.

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Some analysts say Kim Jong-Il will probably designate the son as his political heir at the September meeting, the third such gathering since the communist state was founded in 1948.

It is seen as the most important party event since 1980, when a convention of all-party members made public Kim Jong-Il’s status as the eventual successor to his father, and founding president, Kim Il-Sung.