In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean solders parade during a celebration of the nation's 73rd anniversary that was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 9. AP-Yonhap

North Korea held a midnight military parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of its founding with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, but he did not deliver an address and no new strategic weapons were displayed, according to state media and South Korean officials.

The parade, which began at midnight Thursday, was watched closely by South Korea and others because the North could show off state-of-the-art weapons systems or leader Kim could make a speech about inter-Korean relations or nuclear talks with the United States.

Kim attended the event but did not deliver an address, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The KCNA also said that the parade at Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square was mostly led not by regular troops but by the Worker-Peasant Red Guards (WPRG), a civilian defense organization in North Korea composed of around 5.7 million workers and farmers.

"North Korea does not appear to have presented strategic weapons this time. I think the parade was mainly for domestic audiences, rather than to convey messages to the U.S. or South Korea," a military official in Seoul said.

The parade was also conducted on a smaller scale than the previous ones held in January this year and in October last year, as it seemed to have lasted for about an hour and involved a small number of personnel and equipment, he added.