U.S. intelligence analysts believe that a recent military display organized by North Korea "may have exaggerated" the threat posed by Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missiles to the United States, according to a document believed to be leaked from the U.S. government.
While the U.S. Department of Defense has not confirmed the authenticity of the leaked documents, a brief note from a one-paragraph section of one of the classified documents reviewed by Reuters indicated that "North Korea showcased an unprecedented number of intercontinental ballistic missile launchers in a display organized in February," which were "likely to be equipped with non-operational systems." The document stated that North Korea's objective was "likely to portray a serious nuclear threat to the United States and to demonstrate that it has a larger and more capable missile force than it actually possesses, thereby mitigating the threat posed by its real missiles."
