Fireworks based on North Korea's 'monster ICBM' on sale at Pyongyang toy store

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Fireworks based on North Korea's 'monster ICBM' on sale at Pyongyang toy store

Published: 20 May. 2024, 13:58 Updated: 20 May. 2024, 19:11

LIM JEONG-WON
lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr

Fireworks modeled after North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-17 are on display at a toy store in Pyongyang in this footage carried by the state-run Korean Central Television on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Fireworks modeled after North Korea's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) "Hwasong-17" were seen at a store in Pyongyang.

This comes after Ri Sol-Ju, the wife of leader Kim Jong-un, was spotted wearing a necklace with a pendant in the shape of an ICBM.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television reported on Sunday that a toy store in Pyongyang was selling about 90,000 fireworks of 20 types, including one modeled after the Hwasong-17.

"We have prepared a variety of new types of fireworks, including the Hwasong model," a store employee said to Korean Central Television. "Among them, our children really like the dragonfly and flame top models."

The fireworks caught on Korean Central Television's report are shaped like a black, elongated missile, with the warhead painted in a black-and-white grid pattern like that of the Hwasong-17.

Previously, Ri, North Korean leader Kim's wife and first lady, also wore a necklace with a pendant in the shape of the ICBM during a banquet commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Army in February last year.

On Feb. 16 of last year, a larger number of artworks based on the Hwasong-17 ICBM appeared at an art exhibition commemorating the birthday of Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un's father.

More appeared at another art exhibition celebrating the birthday of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung on April 15.

The Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is seen during a launch on May 17, 2023. [NEWS1]

The Hwasong-17 is often called a "monster ICBM" because its performance has been dramatically improved compared to the previously developed Hwasong-15. Fired at a normal angle, the Hwasong-17 has a range of up to 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), putting the entire continental United States within striking range.

North Korea launched Hwasong-17s in February, March, May and November of 2022, with the most recent launch on March 16 last year.

Ri Sol-ju, wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is a wearing an ICBM pendant necklace during a banquet last year in a screen capture from state media. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Hwasong-17 missile launched in March 2022 exploded at an altitude of less than 20 kilometers. When another one was launched in May of the same year, it fell far short of ICBM performance, with an altitude of 540 kilometers and a flight distance of 360 kilometers.

However, in March last year, Pyongyang released photographs of the Earth seen from space that appeared to have been taken by the Hwasong-17, claiming that the "reliability of the missile has been verified."

Pyongyang's bizarre behavior of producing and distributing products modeled on ICBMs, a weapon of mass destruction, is interpreted as a move to strengthen the ideological indoctrination of younger North Koreans.

BY BAE JAE-SUNG, LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]