US, South Korea Claim North Korea Faked Test of Dangerous Missile; Expert Reveals Why Kim Jong-un Did It

The United States and South Korea claim that North Korea faked the launch of what analysts have started to call the region's "monster missile" last week, arguing that the test was the same intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that Pyongyang launched in 2017.

On Friday, North Korean authorities said that they have successfully test-fired a Hwasong-17 missile, which is a long-range ICBM that experts claim could be capable of carrying multiple warheads. The powerful equipment was first revealed during a military parade held in the country in 2020.

Pyongyang's Fake Test

However, South Korea's defense ministry said in a statement that authorities from both Seoul and Washington have concluded that the recent launch was actually of a Hwasong-15. The ICBM is the one that Pyongyang test-fired five years ago.

Defense ministry officials said that U.S. and South Korean intelligence had determined North Korea's claims to be inaccurate. But authorities said that even the older model ICBM was capable of hitting the mainland United States, as per CBS News.

Analysts said that the reason why North Korea opted to fake the test of the missile was to shore up domestic support for Kim Jong Un's regime after the actual test ended in failure. North Korean state media reported the "miraculous launch" of the Hwasong-17 ICBM on Mar. 24, posting dramatic photos and videos of the leader overseeing the test personally.

Despite the reports, experts said they spotted discrepancies in Pyongyang's account, which echoed the conclusion by South Korean and U.S. officials. Yann Moo Jin, an analyst, referred to the birth anniversary of founding leader Kim II Sung on Apr. 15, said North Korea wanted to maintain the people's loyalty ahead of the day of the Sun.

According to ChannelNewsAsia, he added that however, the Mar. 16 initial ICBM launch failed and noted that Kim would have most likely decided to do something flashy to make up for it. South Korean intelligence suggested that the fake test was made to maintain regime stability.

Repeated Inaccurate Claims

Reports added that there was no time to analyze what had happened in the failed launch in the eight days between the initial and the fake test to justify that it was a correction. The recent incident would not be the first time North Korea has fabricated weapons development progress.

In January 2016, Pyongyang attempted to pass off a failed submarine-launched ballistic missile test as a success using altered video footage. An associate professor at Hankuk University, Mason Richey, said that it was somewhat unbelievable that North Korea was still sticking to "suck 'fake it till you make it' shenanigans."

He added that the fact that independent analysts, let alone South Korean and U.S. intelligence, was able to dismantle the lie so quickly undermined the North's credibility. The analyst argued that if North Korea were able to lie about something as apparently apparent as ICBM type, they would most likely be able to lie or make inaccurate claims about other, more pressing issues, France24 reported.