In another sign of respect following the summit between leader Kim Jong Un and United States President, Donald Trump, North Korea has decided to skip one of the country’s most symbolic and politically charged events of its calendar – the annual ‘anti-US imperialism’ rally which marks the start of the Korean War.

Flag-waving, fist-pumping, and slogan-shouting masses in North Korea normally assemble each year for the rally to kick off a month of anti-American, Korean War-focused events designed to strengthen nationalism and unity.

It all culminates on July 27, a day North Korea celebrates as a national holiday called the day of ‘Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War’. Last year’s event was held on Kim Il Sung Square with a reported 100,000 people attending.

Pyongyang has noticeably toned down its anti-Washington rhetoric over the past several months to create a more conciliatory atmosphere for the summit, providing an atmosphere that would reduce tensions and increase dialogue.

North Korea’s decidedly less strident posture these days underscores the delicate position it finds itself in after decades of touting the United States as its arch-enemy.

Considering how its relations with Washington could quickly slip back into acrimony if the difficult process of negotiating denuclearization and the lifting of trade sanctions breaks down, it remains unclear how much North Korea would go with its propaganda and indoctrination efforts.