(LEAD) N. Korea marks party anniversary on modest scale

(ATTN: ADDS photos, details in paras 4,6) SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has held a celebration performance for the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, state media reported Sunday. Patriotic songs, acrobatics and dance filled Pyongyang Indoor Stadium the previous day in a show that stressed loyalty to the party and Kim, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a celebration performance for the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on Oct. 10, 2026, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) Kim, whom the article described as "representing the dignity and mightiness" of the country, waved to the audience "as a token of his congratulations to all the participants on the party founding day" and expressed satisfaction with the performance, the KCNA said. A photo released by the KCAN shows Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Kim Ju-ae, accompanying him. Diplomatic envoys and members of foreign missions sat alongside senior party and military officials and Pyongyang citizens, according to the report. Kim did not issue a statement marking the anniversary. A performance is held at an unspecified venue in Kangwon Province, North Korea, to mark the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean Central Television reports on Oct. 10, 2026. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) The performance capped a series of events and gatherings marking this year's anniversary, which were modest in scale. North Korea considers anniversaries ending in zero or five to be milestone years, and has traditionally marked them with large-scale military parades, mass gymnastics displays and weapons exhibitions. Last year, it staged a massive late-night military parade at Kim Il Sung Square, unveiling the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile. A separate KCNA dispatch said party officials visited the Party Founding Museum where they were briefed on Kim's October 2025 visit to the museum, without specifying when they went. The report said Kim "is ushering in a great heyday of building our Party in the new era and achieving comprehensive national rejuvenation." Party officials visit the Party Founding Museum in Pyongyang on an unspecified date in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 11, 2026. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) Children sing at an unspecified venue in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea, to mark the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, in this footage aired by the Korean Central Television on Oct. 10, 2026. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr(END) Articles with issue keywords