North Korea: Kim Jong Un Oversees Launch of AI-Enabled Ballistic Missile
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, announced that the missile launched on Saturday “is capable of altering its flight path at low altitudes, and has been integrated with artificial intelligence technology,” adding that there is “no room” to evade it, without providing further details.
The South Korean military detected the launch of the missile from an area near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan early Saturday morning, noting that it traveled more than 700 kilometers.
According to a statement released in English by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim said after overseeing the launch that “through today’s launch test, strategic missile troops demonstrated their professional qualifications and full readiness to launch a counterattack.”
The South Korean military refuted Kim’s sister’s claims that the missile could not be intercepted, stating that it could have been shot down on Saturday.
A statement from the South Korean Ministry of Defense said, “South Korea and the United States maintain a firm joint defensive posture and consider that the missile recently launched by North Korea was actually within the detection and interception capabilities of the defense systems operated by the allies.”
The statement added, “We urge North Korea to immediately cease actions that could escalate tensions,” noting that the launch violated United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Hong Min, from the Korea Institute for National Unification, told Agence France-Presse that “the North revealed coordinates... with an accuracy margin of 30 centimeters,” reflecting “Kim’s stance of not hiding anything and showing confidence.”
Another image showed Kim smiling, with his daughter Kim Ju-ae and his wife Ri Sol-ju clapping in celebration.
Kim Ju-ae, who made her public debut 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.
This move came days after South Korean authorities demanded an apology from Pyongyang 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.
