North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the launch of an intermediate-range strategic missile that Pyongyang says uses artificial intelligence to alter its flight path at low altitude.
The missile was launched early Saturday from the area around Wonsan on North Korea’s eastern coast as part of a military drill involving troops operating the country’s “hypersonic strategic weapon system.”
South Korea’s military said the missile travelled more than 700 kilometres toward the East Sea. North Korea later described the exercise as a test of its strategic offensive capabilities and nuclear deterrence.
Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the missile had been equipped with technology that allows it to change its flight orbit while flying at low altitude. She also claimed that artificial intelligence had been incorporated into the weapon.
According to her, the technology makes the missile extremely difficult to stop.
“In other words, this means that there is no way to avoid this attack,” Kim Yo Jong said.
However, South Korea rejected the claim that the missile could not be intercepted.
The South Korean Defence Ministry said the missile detected during Saturday’s launch remained within the detection and interception capabilities of defence systems operated by South Korea and the United States.
“South Korea and the U.S. are maintaining a robust combined defense posture,” the ministry said, adding that the launch was also a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Seoul urged Pyongyang to stop actions that could further increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Following the launch, Kim Jong Un said the exercise had demonstrated the capabilities and readiness of North Korea’s strategic missile forces.
“We must continue our responsible efforts nonstop to constantly and repeatedly make the enemy recognize the reliability and fatality of our strategic offensive means,” Kim said.
He also described the launch as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s nuclear war deterrent.
North Korean state media reported that the missile eventually hit a target 1,000 kilometres away in the East Sea. South Korea, however, had earlier assessed that the projectile travelled more than 700 kilometres.
The missile’s reported ability to change its trajectory at low altitude has led experts to suggest it could be linked to North Korea’s Hwasong-16 Na hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile system.
The launch also came amid heightened tensions between North and South Korea following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone last month that injured three South Korean soldiers.
Seoul blamed North Korea for the incident and demanded an apology, while Pyongyang denied responsibility and accused South Korea of fabricating the findings.
North Korean state media also released photographs showing Kim Jong Un overseeing the missile launch alongside his daughter, Ju Ae, and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
Ju Ae, who was first publicly introduced by her father in 2022, has increasingly appeared at major military and state events. South Korea’s spy agency has previously assessed that she is the most likely successor to Kim Jong Un.
The latest missile drill was presented by North Korea as part of efforts to train and strengthen the forces responsible for operating its hypersonic strategic weapons.
Source: AFP.
