At the same time, South Korea considers this statement to be a "hoax" to cover up the failed launch.
Points of attention
- South Korea considers this statement a hoax and emphasises the launch's unsuccessful nature, pointing to the missile's explosion in the initial stage of the flight.
- Disputes between North Korea and South Korea over missile tests highlight tensions in the region and the international community's response.
- North Korea has also expressed plans to send an engineering unit to Donetsk, which could have serious geopolitical consequences.
What is known about North Korea's missile tests
North Korea said the test was conducted on Wednesday using the first-stage solid fuel engine of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
The KCNA news agency reported that during a test aimed at developing the technology of multi-purpose autonomous vehicles, the missile successfully separated warheads that were precisely guided to three specific targets.
The goal was to ensure the possibility of destroying individual targets with the help of several warheads, the message says.
At the same time, the South Korean military said that its joint analysis with the US military indicated that the missile exploded during the initial stage of the flight.
Today, North Korea disclosed something, but we believe that it is just a means of deception and exaggeration, said Lee Sung-jung, the press secretary of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea.
He said the photos released by North Korea under the guise of Wednesday's tests were also likely to have been fabricated or reworked from a previous launch.
What has preceded it?
A few days earlier, South Korea's military said North Korea had fired a hypersonic missile off its east coast that exploded in mid-air.
South Korea, the United States and Japan condemned the launch as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious threat, and warned against further provocations following last week's summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It also became known that North Korea would send an engineering unit to temporarily occupy Donetsk. According to ISW, this will happen in July of this year. The Koreans will allegedly carry out "restorative work".
As military expert Valery Ryabikh noted, if this happens, it can be considered North Korean's entry into the war against Ukraine on Moscow's side.
