North Korean troops and vehicles were spotted in satellite images practicing display moves ahead of the important milestone. It has been regular practice for North Korean leaders to celebrate anniversaries with military parades that march through Kim Il-sung Square in central Pyongyang.
Thousands of citizens attend the event to cheer the troops on.
Dan Pinkston, a professor of international relations at Troy University’s Seoul campus, said: “These anniversaries are very important to the leadership in Pyongyang as they celebrate with symbolism.
“We know that they have been working on a lot of new weapons systems and upgrading others, including rocket artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles and guided missiles, and it will be a political decision on whether to put them on display at the parade, but it’s what they have done in the past.”
In 2017, the parade showed off a new intercontinental ballistic missile on top of a tractor-trailer launcher vehicle.
The event celebrated that year was the anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung – founder of the country and grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un.
The satellite images of this years preparations were taken on August 31 and released by the nonpartisan policy research Stimson Center.
The body of experts described how hundreds of vehicles were parked alongside the parade training facilities.
Thousands of troops were also spotted forming square marching shapes.
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According to Mr Rah, the event is a “good a chance” for North Korea “to send a series of messages”.
The presence of local media outlets at the celebration aims to show North Koreans that the nation still has abundant military power despite having faced significant crises.
Mr Rah added that the parade may try to prove that the nation has not been heavily hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
North Korea reiterated that there have been no infections of the disease within the country, but epidemiologists have voiced their doubts about this assertion.