North Korea parade ‘probably oversells’ ICBM threat: Allegedly leaked US document
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North Korea paraded at an event on Feb 8 an unprecedented number of intercontinental ballistic missile-class launchers that were "most likely carrying non-operational systems", according to leaked documents purportedly from the US.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – US intelligence analysts believe a recent military parade in North Korea
Reuters has reviewed more than 50 of the documents, labelled “Secret” and “Top Secret”, that first appeared on social media sites in March and supposedly reveal details of military capabilities of some US allies and adversaries.
Reuters has not independently verified the documents’ authenticity.
While the Pentagon has not vouched for the authenticity of each of the documents, it said on Monday there appeared to have been an “unauthorised disclosure of classified material”.
It said photos appear to show documents similar in format to those used to provide daily updates to senior leaders, though some appear altered.
A brief, one-paragraph observation in one of the documents marked “Secret” and seen by Reuters noted that North Korea had paraded an unprecedented number of ICBM-class launchers that were “most likely carrying non-operational systems” at an event on Feb 8.
The Pentagon and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the part of the documents concerning North Korea.
The document said the North Korean aim was “probably to portray a maturing nuclear threat to the US”.
“The North paraded these non-operational systems to portray a larger, more capable missile force than it possesses and to mitigate the risk of damage to its real missiles,” the document said.
North Korea continues to develop its ballistic missile programme,
The document added that during the next year, “North Korea will probably be unable to outfit all of the paraded ICBM-class TELs with operational missiles capable of striking all of the US because of testing hurdles and resource constraints”. TEL is an acronym for transporter erector launcher, a mobile missile-launch vehicle.
Imagery published by North Korean state media of the Feb 8 event showed more purported ICBMs than Pyongyang has displayed before and hinted at a new solid-fuel weapon.
The images showed as many as 11 Hwasong-17s – North Korea’s largest ICBMs, which are suspected to be capable of striking nearly anywhere in the world with a nuclear warhead.
The Hwasong-17 was first tested in 2022. Alongside those shown at the parade were what some analysts said could be a prototype or mock-up of a new solid-fuel ICBM in canister launchers. North Korea has sometimes displayed mock-ups in its parades. Developing a solid-fuel ICBM has long been seen as a key goal for the country, as it could make its nuclear missiles harder to spot and destroy during a conflict. REUTERS
