North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, and his daughter, center left, pose with soldiers in front of what the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (Picture: AP)
This is the almighty truck that has been given one of the highest honours in North Korea.
Kim Jong-un decorated the ‘Hwasong-17’ launch vehicle 321 with a ‘Hero of the Republic’ medal, as well as the ‘Gold Star’ medal.
It is worth mentioning this has elevated the missile launched to national ‘hero’, a status given to the supreme leader’s father and grandfather, and and allies such as Fidel Castro and Muammar Gaddafi.
But analyst Jacob Bogle stressed it was not unheard of for the country to bestow honours on inanimate objects.
‘These are among the highest orders and decorations that can be bestowed and they are often awarded together automatically,’ he said.
‘The title is reserved for those who perform tremendous feats during battle, or for the party and state.
The dictator inspecting the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) before the launch at Pyongyang International Airport (Picture: AFP)
He was joined by his daughter for the official launch (Picture: AP)
‘For comparison, one might describe it as a George Cross or perhaps similar to the United States’ Presidential Medal of Freedom.’
Kim himself has been photographed with the launcher in the past, and a newsreel of the launch featured it heavily from all angles.
The dictator also posed with the truck for the post-blast off victory photo, with a number of soldiers arrayed on top of the launcher.
North Korea revealed the decision via its propaganda outlets late last year, though it was little reported outside of the country.
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Justifying the medal, state media said that November’s Hwasong 17 launch had ‘clearly proved before the world that North Korea is a full-fledged nuclear power’.
The country was now ‘capable of standing against the nuclear supremacy of the US imperialists’ the report continued.
Mr Bogle added: ‘Giving awards to factories, individual machines, and vehicles isn’t unheard of. In fact, it’s a practice that goes back to the days of Kim Il-sung.
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‘However, bestowing high-ranked awards is quite unusual and I am not aware of another example where the Hero of the Republic title was awarded to an object.’
Buy the analyst stressed that however strange the move, the launcher should not be understated.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, and his daughter, center left, pose with soldiers in front of what the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (Picture: AP)
This is the almighty truck that has been given one of the highest honours in North Korea.
Kim Jong-un decorated the ‘Hwasong-17’ launch vehicle 321 with a ‘Hero of the Republic’ medal, as well as the ‘Gold Star’ medal.
It is worth mentioning this has elevated the missile launched to national ‘hero’, a status given to the supreme leader’s father and grandfather, and and allies such as Fidel Castro and Muammar Gaddafi.
But analyst Jacob Bogle stressed it was not unheard of for the country to bestow honours on inanimate objects.
‘These are among the highest orders and decorations that can be bestowed and they are often awarded together automatically,’ he said.
‘The title is reserved for those who perform tremendous feats during battle, or for the party and state.
The dictator inspecting the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) before the launch at Pyongyang International Airport (Picture: AFP)
He was joined by his daughter for the official launch (Picture: AP)
‘For comparison, one might describe it as a George Cross or perhaps similar to the United States’ Presidential Medal of Freedom.’
Kim himself has been photographed with the launcher in the past, and a newsreel of the launch featured it heavily from all angles.
The dictator also posed with the truck for the post-blast off victory photo, with a number of soldiers arrayed on top of the launcher.
North Korea revealed the decision via its propaganda outlets late last year, though it was little reported outside of the country.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Justifying the medal, state media said that November’s Hwasong 17 launch had ‘clearly proved before the world that North Korea is a full-fledged nuclear power’.
The country was now ‘capable of standing against the nuclear supremacy of the US imperialists’ the report continued.
Mr Bogle added: ‘Giving awards to factories, individual machines, and vehicles isn’t unheard of. In fact, it’s a practice that goes back to the days of Kim Il-sung.
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‘However, bestowing high-ranked awards is quite unusual and I am not aware of another example where the Hero of the Republic title was awarded to an object.’
Buy the analyst stressed that however strange the move, the launcher should not be understated.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
