You may recall the recent announcement of North Korea’s test launch of its new Hwasong-17 ICBM. (Leading to the release of what is probably the most cringe-worthy political video in the history of film.) As Allahpundit pointed out at the time, this was an alarming development because the Hwasong-17 is reportedly capable of hitting any spot in the continental United States and doing so quite rapidly. But as it turns out, there was a significant fact left out in Kim Jong-un’s breathless announcement of his latest military technological achievement. The launch was a fake. Well, it wasn’t entirely fake, as we’ll see in a moment, but it was not at all as it was portrayed to be by Kim’s spin machine. (Reuters)

South Korea’s military has said North Korea’s largest missile test yet used an older, smaller intercontinental ballistic missile, and not the massive new Hwasong-17 ICBM, in part to try to head off negative domestic reaction to a failed launch.

South Korean and U.S. officials have concluded that the March 24 launch appears to have been a Hwasong-15 ICBM, a defence ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.