The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has announced the test launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile on the fourth of July. Pyongyang said its Hwasong-14 ICBM flew some 933 kilometres in 39 minutes reaching an altitude of 2,802 kilometres, according to the country’s state television. The Russian Ministry of Defense disputes the claim saying the missile flew around 535 kilometres, reaching an altitude of 510 kilometres, and fell into the Sea of Japan. The Russian MOD also added that they did not feel that the missile posed a threat to them.

An ICBM is much more dangerous that the reported intermediate range missile as claimed by the Russian MOD. An ICBM launched from the DPRK could reach and strike the United States. These missiles can traverse a distance of more than of 5,500 kilometres, while intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) have a significantly shorter range and poses little to no threat to the US.

US President Donald Trump made a typical response to the test. He mocked the endeavour by asking if the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un had “anything better to do with his life” than fire off missiles. Of course, such a reaction obscures the seriousness of the actions taken by the “Young General.” The DPRK has been under threat of US invasion for several decades. These missile and nuclear weapon developments are projects dedicated to defending the country from US imperialist aggression. The test is not an act carried out for amusement, it is a necessary measure for self-preservation.

This test signals a significant advancement in the technical capabilities of the DPRK’s missile program. Previously it was reported by the mainstream media that the DPRK would not be capable of an ICBM teSt until at least the year 2020. Yet, in only five to six months the DPRK has done just that. The level of development of the missile program has been underestimated. The determination of the DPRK to advance their self-determination has been underestimated by the imperialists.

The timing of the test is no coincidence. It was made on the fourth of July, which is the Independence Day of the United States. As the US was celebrating their independence from the United Kingdom, the DPRK sent the message that they were willing to stand up to the tyranny imposed upon the world by the US. It is appropriate that the country which was celebrating their struggle against British colonialism was sent a message in opposition to their neo-colonialism (also known as imperialism).

The DPRK’s act serves as a reminder that the US has become the very thing which they rallied against. Leaving World War Two the US supplanted the United Kingdom as the empire of the world. The war left most of the UK’s colonies in tatters while the US manoeuvred itself into a strategic global position. The US spread itself across the world and took up the position of the dominant imperialist power, exerting its influence across the globe.

Where once the US was proclaimed a beacon of freedom and democracy, it has become the very force against such rights. Where the Founding Fathers spoke of liberty in double speak, the current fathers have bloodied the world in their pursuit of profits and empire building. Today this tradition continues with the blood-soaked Middle East. The peoples of Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have felt the sting of American-style freedom as it stained their lives with blood.

Where the US once stood against such tyranny, that banner has now been taken up by others. Anti-imperialism has been the clarion call of others: the DPRK, Iran, Syria, China, and Cuba most notably. These countries have stood together in opposition to the terrible inhumanities inflicted upon the world by the United States. The true champions of freedom and self-determination are the oppressed global proletariat.

The DPRK’s ICBM test is a symbol of that resistance. The nuclear capability of the DPRK is the new, “give me liberty, or give me death.” The DPRK will have its independence, its right to self-determination – or it will drown their enemies in a sea of nuclear fire.

Long live the DPRK. long live the resistance to imperialism!