North Korea tests AI-guided missiles for the first time | World News

North Korea has tested missiles guided by artificial intelligence for the first time, according to state media.

Kim Jong Un supervised the launches, and it is claimed he was satisfied with the results.

The tests involved multiple weapons systems, including a nuclear-capable cruise missile that Kim has vowed to deploy near the border with South Korea as he looks to expand his military capabilities.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, ballistic missiles with a “special mission warhead” designed for battlefield nuclear use were also tested, along with a 240mm rocket artillery equipped with “ultra-precision” navigation systems.

It claimed the tests showed the weapons ​and automated launch systems had successfully been upgraded to “suit the proper conditions of ⁠modern warfare so as to enhance their application to ⁠combat”.

The North Korean leader has reportedly called for further efforts to modernise the artillery forces so “no one can match” its strength.

Growing tensions

It comes a day after South Korea’s military said it had detected North Korea launching multiple projectiles, including at least one close-range ballistic missile, toward its western waters.

South Korean officials said the missile flew about 50 miles (80km), but they did not specify other types of weapons involved.

Kim has sped up efforts to bolster North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities since his high-stakes diplomacy with Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.

The North Korean leader has also adopted a hard line towards South Korea, which he declared as his country’s “most hostile enemy” and moved to sever longstanding ties.

Earlier this year, Kim warned he could “completely destroy” South Korea, adding that the “complete collapse” of the country “cannot be ruled out”.

During a meeting with military commanders last week, Kim is reported to have discussed strengthening frontline units in a bid to turn the border into “an impregnable fortress”.

Last month, Kim was in attendance as Pyongyang launched two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from its new 5,000-tonne class destroyer, the Choe Hyon.

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Deepening ties with Russia and China

In recent years, Kim’s foreign policy focus has increasingly shifted toward strengthening relations with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large weapons shipments in support of its war in Ukraine.

Kim has also sought to deepening ties with China – North Korea’s main ally and key trading partner – while portraying Pyongyang as part of a broader front against Washington.

Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to revive diplomacy with Kim, but he has largely ignored those overtures, insisting Washington abandon calls for North Korea’s nuclear disarmament as a pre-condition for talks.