Trump hails absence of nukes at N.Korean military parade

US President Donald Trump on Sunday welcomed North Korea's decision not to display ballistic missiles during a military parade marking the country's 70th founding anniversary, calling the move a “big and very positive” signal for the stalled denuclearisation talks.

“North Korea has just staged their parade, celebrating 70th anniversary of founding, without the customary display of nuclear missiles,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

He said the parade focused on “peace and economic development” rather than showcasing the country's nuclear and missile capabilities.

Citing a Fox News report, Trump said experts believed Pyongyang had deliberately left out its nuclear missiles to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearisation.

The US President also thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the gesture and expressed optimism about improving relations between the two countries.

Trump and Kim held their historic summit in Singapore on June 12, where they agreed to work towards improving bilateral relations and establishing lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, while Pyongyang committed to denuclearisation.

At the anniversary parade, Kim presided over the event but did not deliver a speech. North Korean authorities also refrained from displaying intercontinental ballistic missiles and medium-range ballistic missiles, which had featured prominently in previous military parades.

The decision came at a sensitive time for US-North Korea diplomacy. Despite the Singapore summit, negotiations have struggled to make significant progress, with Washington and Pyongyang differing over the pace of denuclearisation, sanctions relief and the possibility of formally declaring an end to the Korean War.

In late August, Trump cancelled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's planned visit to Pyongyang, citing insufficient progress in negotiations.

Kim has continued to publicly reaffirm his commitment to dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, while officials in Pyongyang have suggested that the process could be completed during Trump's first presidential term.

Trump had also said earlier that he expected to receive a new letter from Kim and described it as likely to contain a positive message.

The missile-free parade offered a rare positive signal amid the diplomatic deadlock, although the absence of missiles from a ceremonial event did not by itself represent a formal agreement or concrete step toward dismantling North Korea's nuclear arsenal.