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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of a missile which allegedly used artificial intelligence to adjust its trajectory, state media reported on Sunday.<\/strong><\/p>\n The AI technology means the missile is \u201ccapable of changing its flight orbit at a low altitude\u201d, Kim\u2019s powerful sister had said, adding this meant there was \u201cno way to avoid\u201d an attack.<\/p>\n It launched from an area around the eastern coastal city of Wonsan early Saturday morning and flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles), South Korea\u2019s military said.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough today\u2019s launching drill, the strategic missile soldiers have fully demonstrated their professional qualifications and counterattack posture,\u201d Kim said after the launch, according to an English-language dispatch by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).<\/p>\n \u201cWe must continue our responsible efforts nonstop to constantly and repeatedly make the enemy recognize the reliability and fatality of our strategic offensive means,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Seoul\u2019s military disputed Kim\u2019s sister\u2019s remarks that there would be \u201cno way to avoid\u201d the projectile guided by AI, saying the missile launched on Saturday could have been intercepted.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Korea and the United States maintain a firm combined defence posture and assess that the missile recently launched by North Korea was well within the detection and interception capabilities of the defencive assets operated by the two allies,\u201d Seoul\u2019s defence ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge North Korea to immediately cease actions that heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula,\u201d it said, adding that the launch violated UN Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n The KCNA report disclosed the exact coordinates where the missile hit its target, a level of detail analysts said reflected Pyongyang\u2019s \u201cconfidence\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis time, the North disclosed the coordinates down to decimal points \u2014 equivalent to a precision of roughly 30 centimetres,\u201d Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification told AFP.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shows Kim\u2019s stance that there is nothing to hide and an expression of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Photos released by KCNA showed a missile soaring into the sky in a burst of orange flame.<\/p>\n Another photo showed Kim smiling, flanked by his daughter Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju, who is seen clapping her hands in celebration.<\/p>\n Ju Ae, who was first introduced to the public in 2022, is the most likely successor to her father, according to South Korea\u2019s spy agency, citing her increasingly prominent role at major state and military events.<\/p>\n The launch was conducted to help train soldiers operating the \u201chypersonic strategic weapon system\u201d, KCNA reported.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n