North Korea Tests AI-Guided Torpedo System Zam-2.0 — SkimNews
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- North Korea said it successfully tested a new torpedo system on October 15, 2026 that uses artificial intelligence for target detection and guidance, state media KCNA reported Saturday, naming the weapon Zam-2.0.
- KCNA described the Zam-2.0 system as "super-speed, precisely guided" and reported its propulsion systems were developed through more than 180 tests over the past five years, without specifying what was meant by AI.
- Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, previously claimed that hypersonic missiles tested on October 3 also used AI technology, a claim experts have questioned.
- Some experts told reporters that while North Korea is likely improving guidance software, it is doubtful the weapons possess advanced digital capabilities such as autonomous target designation.
- North Korea conducted its first underwater-launched missile tests in nearly three years on October 14, with experts saying they likely involved a yet-to-be-deployed submarine Pyongyang says is designed to launch nuclear weapons.
- South Korea's military, which often accuses the North of exaggerating military technologies, did not immediately comment on the KCNA report.
- Kim Jong Un has halted all diplomacy and cooperation with South Korea and described it as a permanent enemy, a yearslong stalemate in nuclear talks with Washington dragging on.
Why it matters: North Korea's pivot toward naval capabilities—including testing from a yet-to-be-deployed nuclear-capable submarine on October 14—compounds the security challenge for South Korea and Japan beyond the ballistic missile threats they already face. The AI claim itself is contested by independent experts, who say Pyongyang's weapons likely lack true autonomous target designation, meaning the headline-grabbing framing may overstate the actual technological leap.
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