China has announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend a major military parade in Beijing on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Beijing's Deputy Foreign Minister Hong Lei announced Kim's attendance at a press conference this morning.

The North Korean leader last visited China in January 2019 for talks with President Xi Jinping, AFP reported.

About 26 leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, will also attend the parade, which will showcase China's latest equipment, and watch Xi inspect troops in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Millions of Chinese died during the protracted war with imperial Japan in the 1930s and 1940s, which became part of a global conflict after Tokyo's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. | BGNES