North Korea Rocket Launch More Like Bottle Rocket

North Korea's symbolic launch to honor 100th birthday of founding President Kim Il Sung, reached altitude of 70 miles, broke up in four pieces and fell back to Earth. "The North American Aerospace Defense Command [NORAD] ...says the 1st stage of North Korean missile fell into sea, 2 other stages failed," as reported by Spaceports. This launch failure represents loss of respect and prestige for North Korea's capabilities in missile technology. Was event little more than a huge non-reporting bottle rocket?