North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of a missile that Pyongyang said used artificial intelligence to adjust its trajectory, state media reported on Sunday.
North Korean state media said the AI technology made the missile “capable of changing its flight orbit at a low altitude”. Kim’s sister had earlier claimed there was “no way to avoid” an attack using the technology.
The missile was launched from an area near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan early Saturday and travelled 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, according to an English-language report 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.
South Korea’s military disputed claims that the missile could not be intercepted, saying the projectile launched on Saturday was within the detection and interception capabilities of South Korean and US defence systems.
“We urge North Korea to immediately cease actions that heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” South Korea’s Defence Ministry said, adding that the launch violated UN Security Council resolutions.
KCNA also published the coordinates of the missile’s impact point, which analysts said reflected Pyongyang’s confidence in the system.
“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.”
KCNA said the launch was conducted as part of training for soldiers operating the “hypersonic strategic weapon system.”