North Korea issues stamps celebrating Hwasong-14 missile launch
The release of the propaganda postage set comes after Pyongyang fired a medium-range rocket over Japan.
Thursday 31 August 2017 14:50, UK
North Korea has issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The release of the propaganda postage set comes after the isolated authoritarian state, sparking international condemnation.
North Korea launched two Hwasong-14s in July, the second of which some experts said had the range to reach parts of
It led to a fresh round of international sanctions aimed at curbing Pyongyang's efforts to build a nuclear-tipped warhead.
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The commemorative set, issued by the country's stamp bureau and released by the official news agency KCNA, included images and descriptions of the second July launch.
One shows the country's authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un clapping surrounded by cheering soldiers alongside a picture of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile being launched.
Another has a graphic image of the missile mid-flight together with the words "Peak Height 3724.9 km".
The third showed a picture of the missile being launched against the backdrop of a world map.
The United Nations Security Council branded Tuesday's firing of an intermediate-range missile over northern Japan as "outrageous".
Pyongyang claimed the launch was in response to a joint US and South Korean military exercise.
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Japan has pressed the US to propose a fresh round of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear missile programme.
However, China has warned the tense situation in the region "isn't a screenplay or a video game".
Beijing and Moscow, which both hold a veto, are likely to oppose any new penalties, given then recent sanctions following the July launches.
Meanwhile, Britain and Japan have pledged to work together to combat the threat posed by North Korea.
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During a visit to Japan, Prime Minister Theresa May said : "Through our deepened security partnership, we must work together to enhance our collective response to the threats to the international order and global peace and security.
"And that must include confronting the threat that North Korea poses and ensuring that this regime in North Korea stops its aggressive acts."
The planned security cooperation includes UK troops taking part in military exercises in Japan and collaboration to tackle threats when Japan hosts the Olympics in 2020.