Why North Korea wants to trick the world with fakes

In 2007 South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea was introducing a new, larger class of hovercraft with a displacement of 170 tonnes and a length of 38m that was fitted with a 57mm gun and a 30mm machine gun. Unlike the Kongbang class, which is intended for amphibious assaults, the new hovercraft are reportedly designed to take on South Korea's fast missile craft in coastal waters. North Korea's motive for over-egging its military capabilities is reasonably self-evident: like other examples of military propaganda, the image is designed to project a greater capability than actually exists. Although the intended audience is likely domestic as much as international, the North's recent attempts at media manipulation are part of its ongoing war of words with the United States that dates back to February's underground nuclear test and the subsequent UN Security Council sanctions. more