North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched on with a smile as troops broke bricks with their heads and were hit in the stomach with spades and mallets.
He attended a display of his country’s military prowess and beamed at the spectacle.
In the most bizarre sequence of the parade, camouflaged soldiers smashed large panels of concrete over each other’s heads before engaging in a martial arts routine which resulted in one participant performing a somersault.
Meanwhile, another troop took a long stick of wood and whacked it straight at one of the combatants, splitting it in half as the fight continued.
Kim could be seen seated in a thick white desk chair at a large wooden table remarking on the performance while uniformed military personnel laughed at his comments.
In another routine, participants held more concrete slabs over an individual’s stomach while another broke them into pieces with a sledgehammer.
The camera regularly cut to the North Korean leader who appeared to be enjoying the show, demonstrating his appreciation with a grin and bouts of applause.
In another routine, participants held more concrete slabs over an individual’s stomach while another broke them into pieces with a sledgehammer.
The camera regularly cut to the North Korean leader who appeared to be enjoying the show, demonstrating his appreciation with a grin and bouts of applause.
Troops elsewhere engaged in an exercise which involved hurling spades and swinging mallets at colleagues’ tensed abdomens.
