North Korean leader oversaw launch of ballistic missile using artificial intelligence

State media reported on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter, oversaw the launch of a ballistic missile allegedly equipped with artificial intelligence technology.

Kim Yo Jong, the leader’s sister, had announced on Saturday that the missile, which was launched, “is capable of altering its flight path at low altitudes, and has been integrated with AI technology,” without providing further details.

The South Korean military detected the launch from an area near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan early Saturday morning, noting that the missile traveled more than 700 kilometers.

Following the launch, Kim stated that “through today’s launch test, strategic missile troops demonstrated their professional qualifications and full readiness to launch a counterattack,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

He added, “We must continue our unremitting responsible efforts to constantly and repeatedly make the enemy aware of the reliability and lethality of our strategic attack means.”

Images released by KCNA showed a missile ascending into the sky amid a blaze of orange flames.

Another image showed Kim smiling, with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, beside him; Ri Sol-ju appeared to be clapping in celebration.

Kim Ju-ae, who first appeared in public in 2022, is considered the most likely successor to her father, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, which based this assessment on her growing role in major official and military events.

KCNA stated that the launch was conducted to train soldiers operating the “hypersonic strategic weapon system.”

The move came days after the South Korean military demanded Pyongyang apologize for a landmine explosion last month that injured three South Korean soldiers in the demilitarized zone, an incident for which Seoul held the North responsible.

Pyongyang denied responsibility for the explosion and described South Korea as “despicable” on Friday.