North Korea claims it has developed ‘AI-piloted’ missiles that leave ‘no way to avoid’ attack after latest sabre-rattling military drill

DAILYMAIL.COM • 3h ago

By NOOR QURASHI, NEWS REPORTER 13:32 04 Oct 2026, updated 13:46 04 Oct 2026

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has reportedly developed ‘AI-piloted’ missiles that are impossible to escape.

The new technology was trialled around the eastern coastal city of Wonsan early Saturday morning where it flew more than 700km (435 miles), according to South Korea’s military.

Photographs taken on the day show Kim grinning from ear to ear as he watches the missile launch, accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae and his wife Ri Sol Ju, who is seen clapping her hands in celebration.

The AI technology means the missile is ‘capable of changing its flight orbit at a low altitude’, Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, boasted.

‘Through today’s launching drill, the strategic missile soldiers have fully demonstrated their professional qualifications and counterattack posture,’ Kim said following the launch, according to an English-language dispatch by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

‘We must continue our responsible efforts nonstop to constantly and repeatedly make the enemy recognise the reliability and fatality of our strategic offensive means,’ he added.

Seoul’s military disputes Kim’s sister’s remarks there would be ‘no way to avoid’ the projectile guided by AI, saying the missile launched on Saturday could have been intercepted.

‘South 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 defensive assets operated by the two allies,’ Seoul’s defence ministry said in a statement.

‘We urge North Korea to immediately cease actions that heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula,’ it said, adding that the launch violated UN Security Council resolutions.

The KCNA report disclosed the exact coordinates where the missile hit its target, a level of detail analysts said reflected Pyongyang’s ‘confidence’.

‘This time, the North disclosed the coordinates down to decimal points – equivalent to a precision of roughly 30 centimetres,’ Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification said.

‘It shows Kim’s stance that there is nothing to hide and an expression of confidence.’

Photos released by KCNA showed a missile soaring into the sky in a burst of orange flame while Kim’s daughter Ju Ae watches on in awe.

Kim Ju Ae, who was first introduced to the public in 2022, is the most likely successor to her father, according to South Korea’s spy agency, citing her increasingly prominent role at major state and military events.

Believed to be roughly 13 years old, she has been accompanying her father to a number of events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings.

State media said she is her father’s ‘most beloved’ or ‘respected’ child and has churned out footage and photos proving their closeness and her rising political standing.

The National Intelligence Service also said earlier this month it was trying to determine if Kim had a son, but if he exists he is not in a position to become the successor.

The launch was conducted to help train soldiers operating the ‘hypersonic strategic weapon system’, KCNA reported.

Seoul’s spy agency last month claimed Kim is ‘extremely obese’ and at risk of heart disease.

Speculation over Kim’s health first flared in 2020 when he missed a commemoration of his late grandfather’s birthday. He was away from the public eye for about 20 days, fuelling rumours that he was seriously ill after surgery.

Kim’s father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung were also obese and heavy smokers. Both died of heart attacks.

North Korea has struggled with repeated food shortages over the years, with the UN calling food insecurity a key humanitarian concern.

But a chef who worked with Kim’s personal chefs during a North Korea-US summit has said the leader has a taste for luxury foods.

Paul Smart – who was the executive chef at Hanoi’s Metropole hotel, where the summit was held – said in 2019: ‘He likes caviar, lobster, really luxurious product. Foie gras, he really likes to indulge in cuisine.’

He added the steaks the North Koreans brought for the leader weren’t dissimilar to highly coveted Japanese wagyu, and were cooked rare.

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