PYONGYANG, North Korea—It’s been an eventful weekend in Pyongyang.

On Sunday morning, North Korea conducted a failed medium-range missile launch from a site near the northeastern coastal city of Sinpo. Apparently timed to coincide with the parade and the arrival of a US Navy strike group in the region earlier in the week, the missile “blew up almost immediately” after launch, according to US Pacific Command.

On Saturday, huge crowds gathered for the 105th birthday of Kim Jong Un’s late grandfather Kim Il Sung, who is considered to be North Korea’s founding father.

Following a forceful speech by Choe Ryong Hae, one of Kim Jong Un’s closest confidants, thousands of Pyongyang residents marched for hours in lockstep chanting devotional mantras to a smiling and seemingly relaxed Kim Jong Un, seated in a balcony high above.

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