U.S. Official Shoots Down North Korea Claims of Submarine Missile Launch

A U.S. official announced that a recent photo purportedly showing a North Korean submarine launch was reportedly digitally modified by the country's officials. 

After the North Korean government released a photo claiming it had launched a ballistic missile via submarine earlier in May, U.S. intelligence officials spoke out, saying that the North Korean government likely modified the photo.

U.S. Admiral James Winnefeld said at an event held at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies this week in Washington that North Korea is still "many years" away from developing technology that could conduct a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

"They have not gotten as far as their clever video editors and spinmeisters would have us believe," Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the crowd, as reported by Reuters.

A recent statement released by North Korea's National Defense Commission claimed to have the ability to produce smaller nuclear weapons that can be carried by missiles.

"It is long since the D.P.R.K.'s nuclear striking means have entered the stage of producing smaller nukes and diversifying them," the National Defense Commission said in a statement, as reported by the country's government-led K.C.N.A News Agency.

"The D.P.R.K. has reached the stage of ensuring the highest precision and intelligence and best accuracy of not only medium- and short-range rockets, but long-range ones," the agency said.