UPDATED 7:27 AM EST, February 6, 2013
Dates and numbers are important to North Korea's government, and Pyongyang has often used what Washington calls "provocative acts" to send unsubtle messages to its main enemies — Washington and Seoul — by staging them around U.S. holidays and important political events in South Korea. They have also used them to give a nationalistic boost to North Korean citizens, favoring significant milestones of the state, party and ruling Kim family.
