North Korea marked the 81st anniversary of its ruling Workers’ Party on Oct. 10 with a performance at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium attended by leader Kim Jong-un, his wife Ri Sol-ju and their daughter, Kim Ju-ae. Patriotic songs, acrobatics and dance emphasized loyalty to the party and Kim, while senior party and military officials, Pyongyang residents and foreign diplomats watched from the audience.
Kim waved to performers and expressed satisfaction with the event, but made no public speech or anniversary statement. The celebration was reported Sunday as the culmination of smaller gatherings held across the country, including performances by youth and workers’ organizations, an art exhibition and commemorative activities at the Party Founding Museum.
The scale contrasted with last year’s 80th anniversary, when North Korea held a major nighttime military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in the presence of senior foreign officials and displayed the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korea has traditionally treated anniversaries ending in zero or five as milestone occasions marked by parades, mass gymnastics and weapons exhibitions; no military parade was reported for this year’s observance.
Other anniversary events included performances in Kangwon Province and singing programs involving children in North Hamgyong Province. Party officials also visited the Party Founding Museum and received a briefing on Kim’s visit there in October 2025. Foreign congratulatory flower baskets from the presidents of Laos and Palestine, along with North Korea’s military attachés, were reported to have arrived before the anniversary.