Beijing, China - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to attend a massive military parade in China next week, as part of an event to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II.

Some 27 world leaders will be present at a parade that will showcase China's latest equipment and see Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect troops in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Beijing's assistant minister of foreign affairs, Hong Lei, announced Kim's attendance at a press conference on Thursday morning.

"The Chinese people will join hands with the people of all countries to firmly defend the victories of World War II," Hong told reporters.

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"At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and changes, with the deficit in world peace continuing to grow," he said.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency also announced the visit, saying Kim will be a guest "at the invitation of Comrade Xi Jinping."

The event will commemorate the end of World War II on September 2, 1945, a conflict in which millions of Chinese people were killed at the hands of Imperial Japan.

Korea was ruled over as a colony of Japan from 1910 to 1945, when its liberation by allied forces saw it split into two sections, the north under Soviet control and the south under the US.

The parade on September 3 will feature ground troops marching in formation, armored columns, aerial echelons and other high-tech fighting gear.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will spend the days before the parade hosting foreign leaders such as Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.