North Korea’s Claims of a Successful MIRV Test Are Dismissed By South Korea
It appears the North Koreans are relying on misinformation to hype up their military capabilities:
A contrail of what appears to be a North Korean missile launch is seen from South Korea’s northwestern border island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea on June 26, 2024. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s military on Thursday dismissed North Korea’s claim of successfully conducting a multiple-warhead missile test earlier this week as a form of “deception,” reaffirming its assessment the missile exploded in the air.
Earlier in the day, the North said it conducted a successful missile test Wednesday aimed at securing multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capabilities, contradicting South Korea’s earlier assessment the launch ended in failure.
“North Korea’s missile launched yesterday exploded in an early stage of the flight,” Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told reporters in a briefing. “North Korea made a different announcement this morning but (we) believe that this is merely a method of deception and exaggeration.”
Lee said photos released by the North this morning of the missile launch appeared to be similar to its launch of the Hwasong-17 liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched in March 2023.
Yonhap
