Seoul, October 3,2026: North Korea said on Saturday it had tested an intermediate-range strategic missile incorporating artificial intelligence, hours after South Korea reported that Pyongyang had launched a ballistic missile toward the East Sea.
The launch came days after South Korea’s military demanded an apology from North Korea over an explosion in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that wounded three South Korean soldiers. Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the blast.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military had detected a ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
The missile travelled more than 700 kilometres, according to the South Korean military, which said South Korea, the United States and Japan were maintaining a “robust defence posture” through close information sharing on North Korean ballistic missile launches.
Hours later, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the missile was an “intermediate-range strategic missile”.
She claimed the projectile was capable of changing its flight trajectory at low altitude and that artificial intelligence had been incorporated into the system, although she provided no technical details about the AI technology.
Kim Yo Jong said the technology meant there was “no way to avoid” the missile’s attack and claimed Kim Jong Un believed other countries would not be able to obtain similar technology for several years.
Her remarks followed Kim Jong Un’s comments last month calling for the development of artificial intelligence capabilities in North Korea’s weapons systems.
Kim Yo Jong also claimed that South Korea had failed to track North Korean missiles when Pyongyang used what she described as a “wave-like trajectory mode”.
Analysts said artificial intelligence is increasingly being incorporated into military technology worldwide, including missile systems.
“AI is increasingly being incorporated into military technology worldwide, and ballistic missiles are no exception,” Hong Sung-pyo, a senior researcher at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Military Affairs, told AFP.
He said AI could assist with target information and launch operations, while recent conflicts in Ukraine and Iran had demonstrated how linking AI with drones and missiles could improve operational effectiveness.
However, Hong cautioned that it was too early to determine whether North Korea’s claims about the missile’s capabilities were accurate.
He said North Korea’s missile technology was not considered particularly advanced compared with that of leading military powers, adding that although missiles capable of manoeuvring during their terminal phase can be difficult to intercept, this does not necessarily mean they can strike targets with perfect accuracy.
Analysts have also said North Korea could be advancing its missile technology with Russian military support in return for deploying troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The missile test came amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas following last month’s explosion inside the DMZ.
South Korean authorities and the US-led United Nations Command concluded that the blast was caused by North Korean mines laid on the South Korean side of the border. Three South Korean soldiers were wounded.
South Korea’s defence minister Kang Shin-chul said the mines were believed to have been laid as part of North Korea’s efforts to reinforce and fortify the border.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had urged Pyongyang on Thursday to return to dialogue, despite the South Korean military demanding an apology a day earlier.
Kim Yo Jong responded by describing Seoul as “really despicable” and rejecting the South Korean demand for an apology. She also criticised President Lee’s overture for dialogue and warned that Pyongyang was “ready for everything” Seoul might do over the mine blast.
The subsequent missile launch has been viewed by analysts as a show of force and a rejection of Seoul’s diplomatic overtures.
“Seoul called for easing tensions, but Pyongyang answered by escalating them,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
