SEOUL, Oct 4, 2026 (GM/NET) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the
launch of a missile which allegedly used artificial intelligence to adjust
its trajectory, state media reported on Sunday.
The AI technology means the missile is “capable of changing its flight orbit
at a low altitude”, Kim’s powerful sister had said, adding this meant there
was “no way to avoid” an attack.
It launched from an area around the eastern coastal city of Wonsan early
Saturday morning and flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles), South Korea’s
military said.
“Through today’s launching drill, the strategic missile soldiers have fully
demonstrated their professional qualifications and counterattack posture,”
Kim said after the launch, according to an English-language dispatch by the
official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“We must continue our responsible efforts nonstop to constantly and
repeatedly make the enemy recognize the reliability and fatality of our
strategic offensive means,” he added.
Seoul’s military disputed Kim’s sister’s remarks that there would be “no way
to avoid” the projectile guided by AI, saying the missile launched on
Saturday could have been intercepted.
“South Korea and the United States maintain a firm combined defence posture
and assess that the missile recently launched by North Korea was well within
the detection and interception capabilities of the defencive assets operated
by the two allies,” Seoul’s defence ministry said in a statement.
“We urge North Korea to immediately cease actions that heighten tensions on
the Korean Peninsula,” it said, adding that the launch violated UN Security
Council resolutions.
The KCNA report disclosed the exact coordinates where the missile hit its
target, a level of detail analysts said reflected Pyongyang’s “confidence”.
“This time, the North disclosed the coordinates down to decimal points —
equivalent to a precision of roughly 30 centimetres,” Hong Min of the Korea
Institute for National Unification told AFP.
“It shows Kim’s stance that there is nothing to hide and an expression of
confidence.
Photos released by KCNA showed a missile soaring into the sky in a burst of
orange flame.
Another photo showed Kim smiling, flanked by his daughter Ju Ae and wife Ri
Sol Ju, who is seen clapping her hands in celebration.
Ju Ae, who was first introduced to the public in 2022, is the most likely
successor to her father, according to South Korea’s spy agency, citing her
increasingly prominent role at major state and military events.
The launch was conducted to help train soldiers operating the “hypersonic
strategic weapon system”, KCNA reported.
