Kim Jong-un appears at massive Pyongyang parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made an appearance at an immense military parade celebrating the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea founder Kim Il-sung.

State television showed Kim, wearing a black suit and white shirt, stepping out of a black limousine and saluting his honour guard before walking down a red carpet on Saturday.

He then walked up to a podium and clapped with senior government officials to address the thousands of soldiers and a massive crowd taking part in the parade in the capital, Pyongyang.

A submarine-launched ballistic missile was displayed at the parade for the first time.

South Korean analysts had predicted that the North would use the parade to showcase its strategic weapons, such as prototype intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Al Jazeera's Craig Leeson, reporting from Seoul, in the South, said Kim Il-sung's birthday, also known as the Day of the Sun, is a day for celebration in North Korea, but also a day for analysts to observe the military parade.

"What we've seen already is that it's a very large parade. We had expected it would possibly be the largest that they've held," our correspondent said.

He said analysts are noting who is standing beside Kim Jong-un - on his right, the country's second-highest ranking official, who heads the military, and on his left, the country's premier.

"What analysts believe is that this is sending a message that Kim Jong-un maintains his dual track policy," Leeson said.

"That is the military deterrent and developing that military deterrent. And on his left, the economic policy, bringing North Korea into the modern world. That includes the business world, engaging China, its biggest trading partner, and maintaining its strenght on the peninsula."
'Military hysteria'

In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that the country's preparations for an inter-continental ballistic missile launch have "reached the final stage". Analysts say commercial satellite images from recent weeks indicate increased activity around North Korea's nuclear test site.