Korean officials attended the 66th anniversary of the suspension of open hostilities in the Korean War in Pyongyang on July 27, 2019. ( Photo: Yonhap / VNA )

The anniversary comes two days after the country fired what South Korea said were two short-range ballistic missiles from its east coast into the Sea of Japan. Both flew distances indicating a capability of reaching all parts of the South.

From early in the morning, many citizens laid flowers and bowed before giant statues of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and former leader Kim Jong Il, the current leader's grandfather and father, on Mansu Hill in the heart of the capital.

North Korea designates July 27 as a holiday. In the nation's capital, slogans to celebrate the "victory" in war appear in public spaces.