North Korean Leader Supervised the Launch of a Ballistic Missile Using Artificial Intelligence

The South Korean military detected the launch of the missile from an area surrounding the eastern coastal city of Wonsan early Saturday morning, noting that it traveled over 700 kilometers.

Kim said after overseeing the launch that "through today's launch test, the strategic missile troops demonstrated their professional qualifications and readiness to fully launch a counter-attack," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

He added, "We must continue our responsible efforts without stopping to make the enemy constantly and repeatedly aware of the reliability and lethality of our strategic offensive means."

Images released by the Korean agency showed a missile launching into the sky amid a burst of orange flames.

Another image showed Kim smiling with his daughter "Ju Ae" and his wife Ri Sol-ju, who appeared to be clapping in celebration.

Ju Ae, who first appeared in public in 2022, is the most likely candidate to succeed her father, according to the South Korean intelligence agency, which based its assessment on her growing role in major official and military events.

The Central News Agency reported that the launch was carried out to train soldiers operating a "hypersonic strategic weapon system."

This move came days after the South Korean military demanded that Pyongyang apologize for a landmine explosion last month that injured three South Korean soldiers in the demilitarized zone, an incident for which Seoul blamed the North.

Pyongyang denied responsibility for the explosion and called South Korea "despicable" on Friday.