The South Korean military has dismissed North Korea's claim of  successfully testing its multiple warhead missile capability as being "deceiving" and "exaggerated."

At a press briefing Thursday, Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-joon said the North's claimed successful separation of warheads, including a decoy, should have occurred while descending, but that the missile fired Wednesday had exploded in the early stage of flight.

Lee said multiple images from the launch indicate that the missile's flight was abnormal, and that both the South Korean and U.S. militaries assessed the launch ended in failure.

Lee said the missile in the images released by the North earlier in the day hold similarities to the Hwasong-17 liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) Pyongyang fired on March 16, 2023, adding that the latest images could have been fabricated.

While intelligence authorities from South Korea and the U.S. are conducting an in-depth analysis of North Korea's intentions, Lee said the regime may be attempting to cover up its recent series of launch failures, including that of a military satellite.