Detecting Signs in Advance and Filming from the Front
The military announced on the 28th that it had been tracking the ballistic missile launched by North Korea two days ago, which North Korea claimed was a "successful multiple warhead test," from before the launch and had clearly detected signs of failure.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military had confirmed and monitored signs of North Korea's missile launch preparations in advance. The missile was launched around 5:30 a.m. on the 26th and was detected by the ballistic missile surveillance radar and ground surveillance assets.
In footage captured by the forward unit's thermal observation device (TOD), the missile's body was seen rotating abnormally from the ascent phase until it exploded in midair.
The military explained, "Abnormal flight patterns were identified from the ascent phase, and it is presumed that this flight instability caused the missile to explode."
Regarding North Korea's claim that the test was of a "Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV)" missile, the military stated, "South Korea and the U.S. assessed it as an 'exaggeration to cover up the failure.'"
On the day after the launch, the 27th, North Korea's state media claimed, "The separation and guidance control test of the individual maneuvering warheads was successfully conducted," adding that they "used the first stage engine of a medium-to-long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile," and that the separated warheads "were accurately guided to the three preset target coordinates."
The military evaluated that the missile exploded in midair on the day of the launch, scattering debris and ending in failure, and on the 27th, pointed out that the missile shape shown in the launch footage released by North Korea resembled the existing intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-17 model.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
