North Korea says new missile can evade regional defences

North Korea said it test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Saturday and claimed the weapon could alter its flight path at low altitude, potentially complicating missile-defence efforts by South Korea and Japan. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said her brother supervised the launch. She described the missile as strategic, a term implying a nuclear role, and attributed unspecified artificial-intelligence capabilities to the system.

South Korea did not immediately endorse those claims. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the eastern coastal area of Wonsan and travelled more than 700 kilometres. Japan’s Defence Ministry estimated the distance at about 680 kilometres and said the missile landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Kim used the differing estimates to argue that the United States’ two regional allies could not reliably track the weapon. South Korea’s national security office condemned the launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council sanctions and called for an immediate halt to ballistic missile tests. The launch followed a dispute over landmine explosions on September 21 near the military demarcation line.

South Korea said a joint inspection with the United Nations Command concluded that North Korean mines caused the blasts, which injured three South Korean soldiers. The command said North Korea had violated the armistice agreement. North Korea has denied responsibility and rejected South Korean demands for an apology.

Kim Yo-jong has also opposed Seoul’s objections to border fortifications, including mines and anti-tank barriers. South Korea said it had increased surveillance and was sharing information with the United States and Japan, while US Pacific Command said the launch posed no immediate threat to US personnel, territory or allies.