In October, North Korea unveiled new military hardware in a parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

The biggest attention-grabbers were, unsurprisingly, the missiles, especially the Pukguksong-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), and the Hwasong-16, which, if real, would be the largest liquid-fueled and road-mobile missile ever made.

But before those missiles appeared at the end of the parade, North Korea’s impressive modernization of its conventional forces was on full display.

North Korea weapons
North Korea Pukguksong-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile on parade, October 10, 2020. (KCNA via Business Insider)

Soldiers were seen wearing modern uniforms with new camouflage patterns, ballistic helmets, vests, and even touch-screen devices. They were also seen parading in full nuclear, biological, and chemical gear for the first time. New vehicles designed almost entirely from scratch also debuted.