Instead of a missile launch, North Korea throws a party

Nuke techs cheered at rally marking country’s 69th year.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea marked its government’s 69th anniversary not with another missile test, as many had feared, but with a gala party for the scientists involved in carrying out the country’s most powerful nuclear test yet last week, the state-run news media reported on Sunday.

The country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, celebrated the national holiday on Saturday by bringing his nuclear scientists and engineers to Pyongyang, the capital, and holding a banquet.

On their way from the country’s underground nuclear test site in northeast North Korea to Pyongyang, the technicians were cheered by people who poured out to see them passing by, the country’s official Korean Central News Agency reported. And upon their arrival in the city, they were met with a hero’s welcome, including a huge outdoor rally and firecrackers.

North Korea described the test, on Sept. 3, as the detonation of a hydrogen bomb that could be delivered atop a missile. Kim’s government called it “a merciless sledgehammer blow to the U.S. imperialists.”

Outside officials and analysts had feared that the country would commemorate the birthday of its government on Saturday by conducting another weapons test, possibly launching another intercontinental ballistic missile.

South Korean officials predicted that such a missile test is almost certain to happen soon, particularly given the tougher sanctions being considered by the U.N. Security Council. On Friday, Washington called for the council to vote on a draft resolution today that would impose new sanctions on North Korea for its latest nuclear test.

During the banquet on Saturday, Kim spurred his engineers to make “redoubled efforts, not slackening the spirit displayed by them in bringing the great auspicious event of the national history,” the North Korean news agency said.

North Korea launched two ICBMs in July, the last of which demonstrated the potential of reaching the mainland United States.

But North Korea has yet to demonstrate that its warhead would not burn up while re-entering the atmosphere or that it could hit a target with reasonable accuracy, analysts said.

The county will probably focus on mastering such technologies in future tests, they said.

Kim attended his banquet with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and top members of his ruling Workers’ Party. The party included performances and patriotic songs swearing loyalty to the party and Kim, the North Korean news media said.

In its report on the banquet, the state news agency mentioned the names of two senior party officials, Ri Man Gon and Hong Sung Mu. Ri is North Korea’s minister of defense industries, and Hong is his deputy. As such, they are in charge of the country’s nuclear weapons development.