North Korea, under the leadership of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, tested a combination of tactical ballistic missiles, artillery rockets, and high-precision AI-powered cruise missiles designed for modern warfare, the state news agency reported on Wednesday, UNN writes with reference to Reuters.
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Having advanced in the development of a series of long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear capabilities, North Korea is constantly modernizing its tactical and conventional arsenal, promising to deploy it near the border with South Korea, the publication points out.
The tests evaluated the power of a "special-purpose warhead" on tactical ballistic missiles, the reliability of long-range multiple launch rocket systems, and the accuracy of AI-powered tactical cruise missiles, KCNA reports.
As dpa notes, according to KCNA, North Korea tested, among other things, a newly developed lightweight multi-purpose rocket launch system, in addition to several tactical cruise missiles.
Kim said the tests showed that the weapons and automated launch systems were successfully modernized to "meet the appropriate conditions of modern warfare to improve their application in combat operations," KCNA reports.
In particular, the tests confirmed the combat readiness of cruise missiles to be deployed in artillery units near the border with South Korea, equipped with AI-based precision navigation and control systems that can hit targets at a distance of 100 km, Kim said.
Central Seoul, the densely populated capital of South Korea, is located 100 km from the border of the demilitarized zone with the DPRK, which has called South Korea its "main enemy" and abandoned the policy of eventual unification.
DPRK removes references to unification with South Korea from constitution06.05.26, 11:17
According to analysts, the claimed cruise missile guidance system appears to be the first time North Korea has publicly mentioned the implementation of AI in missiles—a technology that maps and locks onto a target using real-time data.
"This is about using AI for target recognition and missile guidance," said Yang Uk, a military expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. The DPRK has previously claimed to have used AI technology in its drones.
Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification stated that the DPRK's claim likely refers to a modernized version of an existing digital guidance system combined with automatic target recognition technology, although the degree of its complexity cannot be verified from the report.
North Korea has been supplying Russia with ballistic missiles and artillery rockets since late 2023, which Moscow uses in the war against Ukraine. It is believed that the use of these weapons has provided Pyongyang with valuable battlefield data for its arsenal.
The South Korean military said on Tuesday it had detected the launch of several projectiles, including a ballistic missile.
DPRK launched a ballistic missile and several projectiles toward the sea26.05.26, 13:51