North Korea’s state stamp bureau has issued a collection to commemorate last month’s launch of a rocket that the regime claims can hit anywhere in the US.
According to images released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the stamps feature the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, which was successfully tested on 29 November.
A government statement after the launch, which took place about 18 miles north of the capital, Pyongyang, quoted leader Kim Jong-un as saying: “Now we have finally realised the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force.”
The Hwasong-15 missile fired on 29 November flew on a steep trajectory for 50 minutes, reaching an altitude of 2,800 miles (4,500 km) and distance of 620 miles, according to North Korea.
The US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said that if the numbers were correct, then the missile would have a range of 8,080 miles on a standard trajectory. That figure suggests that all of the US could theoretically be within range.
The missile appears to be an advanced version of the Hwasong-15 ICBM tested in July by North Korea, which claims this version makes it a "complete" nuclear state.
Pyongyang has not, however, proved it has the capability to marry a miniaturised nuclear warhead with a long-range missile and send it at a trajectory that would hit US cities.
It also remains unclear whether the North Koreans have perfected a re-entry vehicle capable of protecting a nuclear warhead during its descent.
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the launch “brings us closer to war”, while the US president, Donald Trump, said of Kim Jong-un: “Little Rocket Man, he is a sick puppy.”
One of the images released with the stamps shows Kim Jong-un appearing to monitor the progress of the launch.
This is not the first time North Korea has produced this type of stamp. In August one was issued featuring Kim Jong-un celebrating the launch of the predecessor Hwasong-14 missile.
The military propaganda of recent stamps is a far cry from those issued in North Korea during the 1970s and 80s, which were more likely to feature cats and dogs.
Stamp designs have previously been known to escalate tensions in the region. In 2004 a stamp issued by South Korea depicting disputed islands known as Tokdo in South Korea and as Takeshima in Japan sparked a diplomatic row.
