Illustrative image.
North Korea launched an intermediate-range strategic missile from its east coast on October 3, claiming it had been equipped with artificial intelligence technology that allows it to change course while flying at low altitude, state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said her brother personally supervised the firing drill. She noted that South Korea and Japan tracked the missile and reported flight distances of more than 700 kilometers and 680 kilometers, respectively, calling the figures “interesting numbers.”
“We have already witnessed similar announcements four times and, finally, we came to the conclusion that the superiority of the special flight mode applied to the missiles in our possession has been verified in practice,” Kim said.
She claimed the “enemy” failed to track the targets from their initial skip points when the missile used a wave-like flight trajectory. She also said extending the trajectory during the downward stage produced distances similar to those reported by South Korea and Japan.
“They should acknowledge the speed of the missile,” Kim said, adding that “they would be well advised” to remember previous announcements that the missile is capable of “changing its flight orbit at a low altitude and AI was introduced into it.”
“There is no way to avoid this attack,” she stressed.
Kim added that representatives of the Missile Administration had reported that the newly introduced technology could allow the missile to use at least four different flight-orbit modes depending on its purpose and target.
Kim Jong Un said no other country in the world “could have access to such technology for at least several years,” according to the North Korean statement.
The launch came 13 days after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan region on September 20. The two missiles were launched within hours of each other toward the East Sea, according to Anadolu Agency’s report.
“We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the U.S. military’s Pacific Command wrote on X.
“Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies,” the command added, while pledging to defend the United States and its allies in the region.
The October 3 launch follows a cluster of North Korean missile tests in September, including multiple short-range ballistic missile launches on September 12 and two more on September 20.
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