North Korea faked launch of its “monster missile” last week, South Korea’s military says. Analysts say the Hwasong-17 is a long-range ICBM capable of carrying multiple warheads. It was likely the same intercontinental ballistic missile Pyongyang fired in 2017, Seoul says.
But South Korea’s defence ministry says US and South Korean intelligence has determined it was a Hwasong-15 ICBM. Both ICBMs are potentially capable of hitting the mainland United States.
Seoul and Tokyo had earlier said the missile flew higher and longer than any previous test. Analysts say Pyongyang made up the claim to compensate for a failed launch on March 16.
North Korea’s failed rocket launch may have affected public opinion, an opposition lawmaker says. Debris from the failed test fell in or near Pyongyang as a red-tinged ball of smoke zigzagged across the sky. State media did not report on the failed launch at the time.
