South Korea detected a ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area on Saturday. Pyongyang later said Kim Jong Un oversaw an intermediate-range test and that AI was used to change the missile's low-altitude path.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said early Saturday, 3 October 2026, that the military detected a ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, also called the Sea of Japan. AFP reported the missile flew more than 700 kilometres. Seoul said it was sharing information with the United States and Japan.
Hours later, Kim Yo Jong said the launch was an intermediate-range strategic missile and that artificial intelligence had been introduced so the weapon could change its flight path at low altitude. She gave no technical detail on the AI claim. AFP noted the statement followed remarks by Kim Jong Un last month on raising the use of AI in weapons.
Korean Central News Agency, cited by Arab News, said Kim Jong Un oversaw the drill with his daughter Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju present, and that the launch trained soldiers on a hypersonic strategic weapon system. Those descriptions come from North Korean state media and have not been independently verified.
The launch followed a South Korean demand for an apology over a blast in the Demilitarized Zone that wounded three South Korean soldiers, which Seoul blamed on the North. Pyongyang's account of that incident was not confirmed in the reports used here.
No independent assessment of the AI claim was available. South Korea, the United States and Japan said they were maintaining a defense posture and sharing tracking information.