<Anchor>



North Korea claims to have fired a new ICBM, the Hwasong-17, but our military authorities are open to the possibility that North Korea may have fired the Hwasong-15, which it had already launched several years ago.

A number of such interesting circumstances have been captured by our surveillance intelligence network.

In fact, it is clear that any type of shot is a destabilizing factor for the situation on the Korean Peninsula.



This is Kim Tae-hoon, a defense reporter specializing in defense.



<Reporter>



North Korea released a large number of videos and photos yesterday (24th) saying that the missile was the Hwasong-17 type, but our military has withheld its judgment.



[Kim Jun-rak/Director of Joint Chiefs of Staff: Regarding North Korean public reporting, the South Korean and US intelligence agencies are conducting detailed analysis with various possibilities in mind.]



As a result of synthesizing information from various sources, including reconnaissance satellites, it is actually slightly more expensive than the Hwasong-17 type. It is known to weigh on small Hwasong-15 launches.



Some experts also raise the possibility that North Korea manipulated photos and videos.



Yesterday, it was confirmed that the weather in Pyongyang was cloudy all day, and the launch site that Kim Jong-un looked at from inside the command post was also cloudy.



On the other hand, in the video and photos of the missile soaring, you can see the clear sky.



Therefore, it is estimated that the scene of the launch on the 16th, when the sky was clear, and the scene of yesterday's launch were mixed and edited.



[Ryu Seong-yeop / Research Fellow, 21st Century Military Research Institute: After the missile launch, the flight video shows mostly clear, cloudless weather.

On the other hand, the photos and videos taken before and after the launch show mostly cloudy appearance...

.]



There is also a rumor that the ROK and US military authorities captured the Hwasong-15 in the Sunan area the day before the launch.



However, there is an opinion that there is little precedent for North Korea to completely manipulate the so-called 'No. 1 event' hosted by its supreme leader.



[Park Won-gon/Professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University: In the case of the 1st event, it is burdensome even inside North Korea to completely lie about this.

Of course, there are reasons to exaggerate or exaggerate to a certain level depending on the need...

.]



It is clear that North Korea crossed the red line no matter which ICBM fired, so it is known that the ROK and US military authorities are reviewing a plan to conduct joint exercises with the US and South Korea mobilizing reinforced forces such as strategic assets.



(Video coverage: Han Il-sang, video editing: Kim Jin-won)