Kim Yo Jong Confirms North Korea Intermediate-Range Missile Test — SkimNews
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- Kim Yo Jong said on Oct 3 that North Korea tested an intermediate-range strategic missile, with leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the drill carried out by a "firepower sub-unit undertaking an exclusive special mission."
- The South Korean military said the ballistic missile flew more than 700km toward the sea off North Korea's east coast, per its Oct 3 detection.
- Kim Yo Jong claimed the missile used a "wave-like trajectory mode" that prevented South Korea and Japan from tracking targets from their first skip points, and said the missile can change its flight orbit at low altitude using AI technology — adding, "there is no way to avoid this attack."
- Kim Yo Jong offered no evidence for the tracking-failure or AI claims and did not disclose the missile's speed, the source notes.
- North Korea has launched missile tests on more than 10 occasions so far in 2026, some of which followed protests over joint Seoul-Washington military drills.
- The launch came one day after Kim Yo Jong's Oct 2 statement dismissed Seoul's demand for an apology for North Korean mines that seriously wounded South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone.
Why it matters: Kim Yo Jong's unverified claim that the missile uses AI to alter its flight path at low altitude — paired with the taunt that "there is no way to avoid this attack" — is a direct challenge to South Korea and Japan's tracking and missile-defense capabilities, not just a routine test announcement. The launch, one day after she rejected Seoul's apology demand over the DMZ mine incident, links the weapons test to an ongoing diplomatic confrontation.
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