SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to have staged a military parade in Pyongyang on Thursday to mark the founding day of its armed forces, the day before the Winter Olympics begin in South Korea, a government source here said.
"It seems that North Korea opened the parade at 10:30 a.m. (Seoul time)," the source said, requesting anonymity and providing no details.
There has not yet been an announcement by the North regarding the parade.
The secretive North had been preparing for the event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People's Army, according to multiple reports mainly based on satellite imagery.
Another South Korean government source said the movement of missile-carrying transporter erector launchers (TELs) was detected, apparently as part of the preparations.
The South's military said earlier Thursday that the North was expected to press ahead with the parade on the eve of the opening of the PyeongChang games in which North Korean athletes are participating.
"North Korea is likely to proceed with the planned military parade today," Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said at a press briefing.
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