North Korea’s ruling party newspaper on Saturday celebrated the anniversary of a 2017 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch on its front page and across multiple other articles, in a first since negotiations with the U.S. began in 2018. 

In an editorial (sasol) on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, citizens were urged to carry the spirit of the “July 4 Revolution” celebrating the “Hwasong-14 ICBM” launch on July 4, 2017.

The date of the launch was interpreted at the time to have been deliberately chosen to coincide with the American independence day, perhaps as a message to