North Korea military parade LIVE: Pyongyang gridlocked by terrifying military arsenal

KIM JONG-UN has paid tribute to his family on North Korean television prior to the coverage of the military parade that will take place in the country during freezing temperatures today, it has been revealed.

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Early images show gridlocked streets in Pyongyang

Early images show gridlocked streets in Pyongyang as a huge military convoy sits positioned ready to enter the parade square.

TV sets in the hermit kingdom are locked on images of Kim Jong-un’s father and grandfather, Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung respectively.

The coverage shows Jong-il using firearms and riding a horse in an attempt to pay tribute to the actions of the former leader.

The first images of the parade have surfaced on social media with user Michael Spavor posting pictures of vast military forces in the hermit kingdom.

The current temperature in the rogue state is minus 11 degrees Celsius.

Drills for the upcoming parade have been pictured that showed an estimated 12,000 troops, 110 pieces artillery equipment, tanks and armoured vehicles.

1.52am: North Korea journalists “will not appear” at today’s parade

Mr Williams added that there does not appear to be foreign journalists at the hermit kingdom’s parade.

He tweeted: There don't appear to be any foreign journalists at today's parade in Pyongyang. 

“Journalists with their powerful camera lenses can be problematic if their pictures reveal details of new military hardware…or fakery. (The whole event is high propaganda).”

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Drills for the upcoming parade have been pictured that showed an estimated 12,000 troops

01.37am: North Korea parade set to start soon

North Korea expert Martyn Williams claimed that the parade is set to start at 11am North Korea time (02.30am GMT)

He tweeted: “North Korean TV is still doing its usual propaganda thing. It's just gone 10am in North Korea (UTC +8h30) and no parade coverage so it's looking like start might indeed by around 11.00, assuming it is broadcast live.”

North Korea military paradeGetty

The current temperature in the rogue state is minus 11 degrees Celsius

The timing of the parade comes after it was revealed that Donald Trump wants a military parade in the US to show off his military might.

Pentagon spokesman Charlie Summers confirmed earlier reports by declaring that the planning process for the US parade were in their “infancy”.

The Republican firebrand appears to have been captivated by the military showcase put on by French President Emmanuel Macron on Bastille Day during a visit to Paris last year.

A military official said: “The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France.

“This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”

A White House official disclosed that the preparation was currently in the “brainstorming” phase and that nothing is set in stone.