(Source: CGTN)

A military parade has been held in Pyongyang to mark the 105th birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il Sung. The parade is said to be the biggest in scale for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Top leader Kim Jong Un reviewed the troops at Kim Il Sung Square as tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang.

After inspecting an honour guard, Kim watched the parade, along with top military and party leaders.

Tens of thousands of personnel were involved.  The country's most advanced weaponry included the debut of submarine-launched ballistic missiles. All this aims to send a tough, clear message.

Pyongyang is under multiple sets of United Nations sanctions over its missile programs and nuclear tests. Last month, three rockets came down in waters close to Japan.

And now, a US strike group with the flagship aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is on its way to the region. This and current joint military exercises between the US and South Korea are viewed by the DPRK as preparations for invasion.

There's worldwide speculation the DPRK could be preparing a missile launch, or even another nuclear test.

Pyongyang has been keeping the region, and indeed much of the world, on edge with its nuclear weapons testing and rhetoric.