This photo, provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, Thursday, shows Pyongyang's missile test conducted the previous day that it claims as proof of its multiple warhead capability. Yonhap

North Korea, Thursday, claimed to have successfully tested a multiple warhead missile,contradicting South Korea's assertion that the missile exploded midair. This has raised questions about the credibility of Pyongyang's claim.

Pyongyang’s state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the test carried out on Wednesday succeeded in “separating warheads that were accurately guided to three coordinate targets.”

“The test is aimed at securing the Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) capability,” KCNA said. “The effectiveness of a decoy separated from the missile was also verified by anti-air radar.”

MIRV technology allows a ballistic missile to deliver multiple warheads to destroy individual targets. This is the first time North Korea explicitly claimed to have successfully launched a multiple warhead missile.

In January 2021, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned the multiple warhead missile as one of the technologically-advanced weapons he plans to develop in the future, along with spy satellites, hypersonic missiles and submarine-launched nuclear missiles.

However, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) dismissed North Korea’s claim of successfully conducting a multiple-warhead missile test, calling it “a method of deception and exaggeration.”

“North Korea disclosed something different this morning, but we believe this is merely a method of deception and exaggeration. North Korea’s missile launched yesterday exploded in an early stage of flight, and we still believe the launch ended in failure,” Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of the JCS, said in a press briefing.

The JCS official said the photos released by the North purporting to be of Wednesday’s test were likely fabricated or recycled from a previous launch.

This photo, provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, Thursday, shows Pyongyang's missile test conducted the previous day that it claims as proof of its multiple warhead capability. Yonhap

Experts expressed mixed opinions on North Korea’s announcement of the “successful” missile test.

Chang Young-keun, head of the missile center at Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said it is questionable whether the MIRV was sequentially separated outside the atmosphere, then successfully re-entered the atmosphere and hit predetermined targets.

“North Korea said the test used the first-stage engine of an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile within a 170-200 kilometer radius, but it is difficult to regard it as simulated testing of MIRV capabilities with sufficient guidance and control capabilities at the altitude required for an actual intercontinental ballistic missile,” Chang said.

However, Lee Il-woo, director at Korea Defense Network, said it appears that the South Korean military failed to detect and assess Pyongyang’s missile test.

“It seems like the military only thought of a missile flying in arc, while the MIRV missile makes trajectory corrections while flying. A decoy is believed to have separated from the missile. Unless the images supplied by North Korea are fabricated, I think North Korea’s claim is valid,” he said.

Shin Jong-woo, a former senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said it’s difficult to conclude that the missile exploded in midair, adding the photos released by the North are unlikely to be manipulated.

“It’s hard to determine that the launch failed just by seeing the photos released by the North,” Shin said. "Some say the missile traveling about 250 kilometers is proof of a failed test, considering it's a short range, but I think North Korea was only trying to show off its multiple warhead missile capability. It’s just a warm-up. Next, North Korea will likely test the missile over thousands of kilometers.”

Lee said more tests will follow as North Korea’s ultimate target is to overcome U.S. homeland missile defenses. “North Korea will likely seek to target U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers like the USS Theodore Roosevelt. It believes multiple warhead missiles can disproportionately damage U.S. military power,” he said.

The unification ministry condemned the missile launch as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a serious threat to the region and beyond.

Meanwhile, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo launched their first trilateral multi-domain exercises dubbed Freedom Edge on Thursday amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.