North Korea began selling miniature fireworks modeled after its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-17, right in the heart of Pyongyang.
North Korea’s state-run media Korean Central News Agency reported on the afternoon of the 19th that more than 90,000 fireworks of 20 different types are being sold at the Changgwang Fireworks Shop in the Hwasong district of Pyongyang.
The store employee stated, “We have prepared a variety of new types of fireworks, including miniatures of the Hwasong missile,” and added, “Among them, children especially love the firefly and spinning top fireworks.”
The fireworks captured on camera by the Korean Central News Agency are long, black, and missile-shaped, with the warhead painted in a white and black checkered pattern similar to the Hwasong-17. The product that represents an ICBM, a weapon of mass destruction (WMD), displayed alongside other children’s toys is jarring.
Previously, Ri Sol Ju, wife of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, drew attention by wearing a necklace shaped like an ICBM at an event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Armed Forces Day in February last year. At last year’s art exhibition commemorating the Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong Il’s birthday, February 16) and the Day of the Sun (Kim Il Sung’s birthday, April 15), numerous artworks featuring the Hwasong-17 ICBM were displayed. North Korea’s consistent production and deliberate exposure of goods paying homage to the Hwasong-17 shows the country’s pride in its successful ICBM launch.
The Hwasong-17 is referred to as the monster ICBM due to its significantly improved performance compared to its predecessor, the Hwasong-15. With a range of up to 9,320 miles, it could potentially reach anywhere in the United States if launched at a normal angle.