North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong says intermediate-range missile test was conducted — SkimNews
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- Kim Yo Jong confirmed on Oct 3 that North Korea tested an intermediate-range strategic missile, with leader Kim Jong Un personally overseeing the launch carried out by a 'firepower sub-unit undertaking an exclusive special mission.'
- The South Korean military reported the ballistic missile flew more than 700km toward the sea off North Korea's east coast before Kim Yo Jong's statement was released.
- Kim Yo Jong cited Seoul and Tokyo's publicly stated tracking data as proof the enemy 'failed to track the targets from their first skip points' whenever North Korea uses wave-like trajectory mode — offering no evidence of her own.
- Kim Yo Jong claimed the missile can change its flight orbit at low altitude using AI technology, declaring flatly that 'there is no way to avoid this attack,' though she disclosed neither the missile's speed nor any technical data.
- The Oct 3 launch came one day after Kim Yo Jong dismissed Seoul's demand for an apology over North Korean mines that seriously wounded South Korean soldiers inside the Demilitarized Zone.
- North Korea has now conducted missile tests on more than 10 occasions so far in 2026, with some launches following Pyongyang's protests of joint US-South Korea military drills.
Why it matters: The Oct 3 confirmation marks North Korea's 10th or more missile test of 2026, and it landed one day after Kim Yo Jong rejected Seoul's apology demand over DMZ mines — pairing a live-fire demonstration with a rhetorical escalation rather than a de-escalation. Her unsubstantiated claim that the missile uses AI to alter its flight orbit at low altitude, framed as making interception impossible, adds a new messaging layer on top of the capability test, packaging Pyongyang's hard parts with an invulnerability narrative.
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