Politics
11:59, 09-Sep-2017
DPRK missile launch pad empty on National Day despite dire warnings
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is celebrating the 69th anniversary of its founding known as “National Day”. In recent years the country has become known for often marking historically significant dates in a special way – by launching missile.
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday hinted that he was concerned that the DPRK could be getting ready to celebrate “National Day” by launching another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Sept. 9.
But no such test, however, has been reported as of now.
The situation is “very grave,” said the South Korean Prime Minister, as the DPRK issued yet another stern statement saying it will reply to the US “barbarian sanctions and pressure with our powerful countermeasures.”
Marking historical dates
The DPRK carried out an underground nuclear test last year to celebrate the founding day to what it said was to protect itself against “threats and sanctions.” It was the fifth such test since the country first began nuclear tests, in 2006.
The DPRK has significantly sped up its missile program this year. /Xinhua Photo
The DPRK has significantly sped up its missile program this year. /Xinhua Photo
The country turned back its time zone by a half-hour in 2015, setting “Pyongyang Time” to mark its 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation. At the time the official KCNA news agency said, “the wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time while mercilessly trampling down its land.”
The DPRK launched its first ever ICBM rocket to the occasion of US Independence Day on July 4. The country was due to conduct a second ICBM test on the anniversary of the Korean War armistice on July 27, but the launch was delayed for a day because of weather conditions.
Pyongyang flew an intermediate range ballistic missile over the Japanese island of Hokkaido on August 29 – it was the anniversary of the Japanese annexation of Korea.
The next significant historical date that many international observers will be looking out for is October 10th, when the country will mark the anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers’ Party.