North Korea displays suspected ICBM during massive military parade

North Korea put its military might on display during a parade in the capital city of Pyongyang on Saturday, marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founder Kim Il Sung, grandfather of Kim Jong Un.

According to the South Korean news Agency Yonhap, North Korea displayed what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during the parade.

A huge truck carrying the missile-shaped objective rolled through the main square of the capital in front of leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials of the communist regime, showed TV footage.

South Korean military officials said they believe the object was a new type of ICBM.

The parade also featured the North's submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) for the first time.

The Pukguksong-1 SLBM, which the U.S. calls the KN-11, was first displayed and tested in April 2016. It was followed by another test in August that saw the missile fly 500 km into Japan's air defense identification zone.

Experts said that was likely a lofted firing, meaning it could have flown much further, putting South Korea and parts of Japan within striking distance.

In February, the North conducted a test of the Pukguksong-2, or KN-15, an apparent land-based variant of the SLBM.

Saturday's parade was staged amid soaring tensions with the United States, which has not ruled out military action to prevent North Korea from progressing in its nuclear weapons programs.

The CNN reported that pictures on state television showed thousands of soldiers marching in formation alongside tanks, balloons and enormous crowds.

In a live broadcast, a newsreader from North Korea's state-run television service called the new military hardware the country's "modernised strategic missiles.