North Korea tests AI-guided cruise missiles under Kim’s watch

Kim Jong Un Oversees Tests of AI-Guided Missiles and Artillery Targeting Seoul

North Korea conducted a series of weapons tests on Tuesday under leader Kim Jong Un’s supervision, including tactical cruise missiles equipped with artificial intelligence-guided targeting systems capable of striking locations within 100 kilometers — putting Seoul well within range, state media reported on Wednesday.

AI-Enhanced Weapons Evaluated

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the tests assessed the power of a “special mission warhead” on tactical ballistic missiles, the reliability of long-range multiple-launch artillery rockets, and the accuracy of AI-guided tactical cruise missiles. The cruise missiles feature what KCNA described as “a terminal control function based on artificial intelligence technology combined with a high-precision self-guided navigation system with a topographic mapping navigation system”.iz

Kim told state media the weapons and automated launch systems had been successfully upgraded to “suit the proper conditions of modern warfare so as to enhance their application to combat”. He expressed “great satisfaction” with the results and confirmed that the AI-guided cruise missiles would be deployed at artillery units near the border with South Korea.jpost

South Korea Detects Multiple Launches

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch of multiple projectiles on Tuesday from the Jongju area of North Phyongan Province at around 1 p.m., including close-range ballistic missiles fired toward the Yellow Sea. The missiles covered approximately 80 kilometers, and South Korean and U.S. forces were conducting detailed analysis of the projectiles.koreaherald

The launches marked North Korea’s first missile provocation since April 19, when the North fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.koreaherald

Escalating Threat to Seoul

Central Seoul, home to roughly 10 million people, lies well within 100 kilometers of the Demilitarized Zone. The tests represent the latest step in Pyongyang’s stated campaign to modernize its conventional arsenal along the border. Earlier this month, Kim inspected a munitions factory producing 155-mm self-propelled howitzers with a range exceeding 60 kilometers, also slated for deployment near the southern border.npr

North Korea has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles and artillery rockets since late 2023 for use in Ukraine, and the battlefield data from those weapons is believed to have aided Pyongyang’s ongoing upgrades. KCNA described Tuesday’s tests as “part of the plan for modernizing the artillery and missile armed forces to attain the five-year goal for national defense development”.jpost