Vietnamese, Laos leaders to attend North Korean ruling party's founding anniversary

Leaders of Vietnam and Laos will visit North Korea to attend the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, state media reported Monday.

Vietnam's top leader, To Lam, will pay a state visit to Pyongyang at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the occasion of the party anniversary set for Oct. 10, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

The visit would mark the first trip to North Korea by a Vietnamese leader in 18 years.

Vietnam and North Korea established diplomatic ties in 1950.

Laos' President Thongloun Sisoulith will visit Pyongyang at Kim's invitation to attend the upcoming party anniversary.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's deputy chairman of the Security Council, is also expected to travel to North Korea to attend the commemorations.

North Korea is expected to hold a large-scale military parade to celebrate the party anniversary.

The South Korean military earlier said the North may stage a nighttime parade involving tens of thousands of personnel.

Ahead of the ruling party's founding anniversary, North Korea held its annual defense exhibition for the third consecutive year.

The Defense Development-2025 opened in Pyongyang on Saturday.

On the occasion, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the "recent results of the important projects ... put the structure of the DPRK's military capabilities, with its nuclear deterrent as the backbone, on an increasingly modern, advanced footing."

DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.