"North Korea's Claim of Successful New ICBM in March is a Lie"...'Irrefutable Evidence' Emerges [Reading Science]

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Reveals Satellite Image Analysis Results

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] An analysis has emerged suggesting that North Korea's highly publicized successful launch of the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-17 in March was a fabricated fake.

On the 10th (local time), according to the U.S. space specialist media Space.com, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, recently compared the promotional video released by North Korea at the time with satellite images taken by the satellite imagery company Planet, arriving at this conclusion.

In this regard, North Korean authorities claimed on March 24 that they had successfully launched the Hwasong-17. They also released footage of the Hwasong-17 loaded on a launch vehicle on the road. In the photos taken by Planet of the same location, burn marks caused by the ignition of the engine during liftoff of the large launch vehicle were vividly captured. The problem is that the photos taken by Planet were captured on March 16, eight days before the date North Korea claimed to have launched the Hwasong-17, March 24. Notably, the photos taken by Planet on March 24 of the same location show no burn marks.

There is another suspicion. Based on various observation data, it is estimated that North Korea launched the Hwasong-17 in the afternoon. However, in the video of the Hwasong-17 released by North Korea, considering the position of the sun, the launch appears to have taken place in the morning. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the Hwasong-17 did not achieve sufficient acceleration to reach the known performance and range after launch.

Accordingly, the institute concluded that North Korean authorities, after failing the first launch of the Hwasong-17 at the time, edited and mixed other footage to conceal this and publicly announced it.

Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the institute, explained, "It is certain that North Korea fired a large launch vehicle on March 16 and that Kim Jong-un was there. However, North Korea did not disclose this and appears to have launched a different missile a few days later."

The missile launched by North Korea on March 24 is presumed to be the Hwasong-15 ICBM, which had already succeeded in a launch once in 2017. Japanese authorities reported that the Hwasong-15 flew for 71 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of about 6,000 km and covering a total flight distance of 1,100 km. North Korean authorities did not disclose the exact launch site, and analysis of Planet satellite images confirmed that at least the road shown in North Korea's promotional video is not the actual location.

The media stated, "North Korea's deception is not particularly shocking. Kim Jong-un is a secret dictator running a totalitarian regime and has lied before," relaying Lewis's comment that Kim Jong-un always edits videos to hide his large ears.