Pyongyang has designated an official new holiday to commemorate the anniversary of the successful test of its intercontinental ballistic missile "Hwasong-17" last year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency on Sunday. On November 18, 2022, North Korea conducted what is believed to be the first full flight test of the Hwasong-17, which military analysts have dubbed the "monster missile."
This anniversary has been established as an official holiday during a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly, as reported by the agency on Sunday. It noted that dedicating "a day to the rocket industry represents a special event in our sacred journey to develop national defense."
Through that missile launch, North Korea demonstrated to the world "the greatness of a global nuclear power and a nation that possesses the strongest intercontinental ballistic missile," according to the agency. North Korea consistently conducts significant weapon tests during public holidays.
South Korean intelligence reported last week that Pyongyang is progressing on its project to launch a military reconnaissance satellite. North Korea has failed twice to place a spy satellite into orbit. After the second failure in August, it announced plans to attempt a third launch in October, but that did not materialize.
