German and American military experts are saying the recently released photos of North Korea's "successful" ballistic missile launch are photoshopped - and badly at that.
North Korea announced it had successfully completed an underwater test-fire of the missile launched from a submarine on May 9.
The socially-isolated nation also claimed it has the ability to miniaturize nuclear warheads.
The photos were released along with a warning towards Washington about challenging North Korea's right to boost military deterrence.
But German aerospace experts and a U.S. Admiral state the images are "strongly modified," and were quick to point out the many photoshop fails in the pictures.
For example, a red area of the water purported to be a reflection of the missile doesn't line up with the missile itself.
People online also point out the stark differences between the rocket trails in the released photos, versus the photos as they are seen in North Korean media.
In the images released by North Korea, the missile's trail is short, while the trails broadcast to the North Korean nation shows a large, voluminous puff of white smoke shooting from the back of the missile.
If the successful launch were true, it would mean a significant leap in North Korea's nuclear capabilities. However, that seems unlikely.
"Considering the track record of North Korean deceptions, it seems sensible to assume that any North Korean SLBM [submarine-launched ballistic missile] capability is still a very long time in the future, if it will ever surface," Markus Schiller and Robert Schmucker, of Schmucker Technologie tell Reuters.
U.S. Admiral James Winnefeld told an audience in Washington that Pyongyang is still "many years" from developing the technology they are trying to boast.
The Admiral went on to add, "they have not gotten as far as their clever video editors and spinmeisters would have us believe."
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