“They want to show they can, ” said one U. S. official. “They believe they learn something new from every launch, success or failure.”
North Korea is “throwing” missiles up — some still experimental — to show the Trump administration the country is a “serious” international player, multiple U. S. officials told NBC News. Two officials said it doesn’t seem to matter to the Kim Jong Un regime whether the tests succeed or fail, and most have failed.
On Friday, a missile capable of striking targets in South Korea detonated minutes after launch, scattering debris over land and sea. The missile, called the NK-17, is among those the officials said the North has launched knowing they might not be ready.
“They want to show they can, ” said one official. “They believe they learn something new from every launch, success or failure.”
In fact, the Musudan, the most advanced missile the North has tested, has failed six out of the eight times it’s been fired in the past year (leading one CIA analyst to say it “comes equipped with its own fire extinguisher.”)
Related: The Not-So-Little North Korean Missile That Couldn’t
Some of the tests have broken new ground, like the successful February 12 test of a mobile, solid-fueled missile that can be launched from a submarine.
