Pentagon leaks say some North Korean missiles are 'not operational'

Photo released on March 25, 2022 by North Korea's KCNA news agency of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile launch at an unspecified location in North Korea, March 24, 2022 © AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Pentagon leaks continue to spill ink on the Korean peninsula. After some documents raised strong suspicions that Washington is listening to high-ranking officials in the South Korean presidential office, it is North Korea's turn to be concerned. According to US intelligence, some intercontinental ballistic missiles unveiled by Pyongyang during its last parade would not be operational, but would aim to exaggerate the threat posed by North Korea to the United States.

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With our correspondent in Seoul, Nicolas Rocca

Never before has Pyongyang unveiled as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as on February 8, 2023, but, according to Pentagon documents, some of them would be "not operational." On the occasion of a large military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army, eleven Hwasong 17 marched in front of Kim Jong-un and his daughter.

Several nuclear warheads

These weapons systems, theoretically capable of striking the entire American territory, would be armed with several nuclear warheads. Some experts feared that North Korea would be able to surpass U.S. missile defense capabilities. But this leak of documents, whose authenticity has not been confirmed, tempers the North Korean threat.

Doubts about North Korean production capabilities

Many missiles unveiled during the parade would be fake in order to "present a larger and more efficient stockpile" and "to mitigate the risk of damaging real missiles". It also states that Washington doubts the regime's military production capabilities. According to the document, "North Korea is unlikely to be able to equip all its launchers with operational missiles ... due to resource constraints"; namely international sanctions, and the isolation of the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

► Read also: North Korea: high level of nuclear activity revealed by satellite images

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  • North Korea
  • South Korea
  • Defense
  • Nuclear
  • United States