North Korea sets new holiday to mark 'monster missile' test

On November 18, 2022, North Korea conducted the first full flight test of the Hwasong-17, dubbed by analysts as a "monster missile," according to AFP.

During the launch on November 18, 2022, the Hwasong-17 missile flew nearly 1,000 km in 69 minutes, according to KCNA. Then-Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the weapon could fly as far as 15,000 km, enough to reach the continental United States.

Hwasong-17 launched on November 18, 2022

According to KCNA, with the launch of Hwasong-17 on November 18, 2022, North Korea "demonstrated to the world the majesty of a world-class nuclear state and the country with the most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles."

KCNA today stressed that the Hwasong-17 launch day was designated a public holiday at a meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (North Korea's parliament). "The establishment of the rocket industry day marks a special event in our sacred journey of national defense development," KCNA wrote.

Image believed to be North Korea's Hwasong-17 missile before launch on November 18, 2022

Pyongyang often conducts major weapons tests on important holidays and has conducted a record number of missile tests this year, ignoring warnings from the US and South Korea, according to AFP.

Last week, South Korea's spy agency assessed that North Korea was in the final stages of preparations for its third military reconnaissance satellite launch. After a second failed attempt in August, Pyongyang announced it would conduct a third launch in October, but that launch has yet to take place.

In September, North Korea enshrined its status as a nuclear state in its constitution and leader Kim Jong-un has called for more modern nuclear weapons to counter threats from the United States, according to AFP.

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