North Korea designates Nov. 29 as holiday to commemorate ICBM launch
North Korea has designated Nov. 29 as a holiday to commemorate the country's launch in 2017 of an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to its calendar for this year, obtained by Kyodo News on Wednesday.
The designation indicates that North Korea has been aiming to bolster its nuclear and missile capabilities, as its negotiations with the United States on denuclearization and sanctions relief have shown little sign of moving forward, regional experts said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang on Jan. 12, 2021. (KCNA/Kyodo)
On Nov. 29, 2017, North Korea fired what it said was its "most powerful" ICBM capable of delivering a nuclear warhead anywhere in the continental United States. Afterward, leader Kim Jong Un declared the completion of "the state nuclear force."