North Korea on Wednesday tested a mix of tactical ballistic missiles, artillery missiles and precision AI-guided cruise missiles designed for modern warfare, according to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency.The tests came a day after the South Korean military announced that it had detected the launch of multiple projectiles, including a ballistic missile. The projectiles reportedly traveled about 80 kilometers before landing in the Yellow Sea.KCNA said the launches were conducted to evaluate the power of a “special mission warhead” mounted on tactical ballistic missiles, the reliability of long-range multiple-launch artillery missiles, and the accuracy of artificial intelligence-guided tactical cruise missiles.According to the government agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said, “The tests confirmed in particular the combat readiness of cruise missiles that will be deployed in artillery units near the border with South Korea, equipped with precise navigation and artificial intelligence-guided control that can hit targets 100 kilometers (62 miles) away.”He added: “It is a prerequisite for our Army’s operations to have such destructive power that it is sufficient to make any confrontation force theoretically impossible to survive, except by luck.”
Analysts said that the recent tests indicate Pyongyang’s intention to strengthen its capabilities for precision strikes below the nuclear threshold.“With the latest launch, Pyongyang is signaling that it intends to deploy such a weapon system in the event of war,” said Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. He added: “It highlights the power of precise, long-range automatic conventional firepower capable of sweeping the south even below the nuclear threshold.”According to Hong, North Korea’s claims likely refer to an upgraded version of the current digital guidance system integrated with automatic target recognition technology. The weapon system is said to combine tactical cruise missiles, multiple launch guided missile systems and tactical ballistic missiles into a single precision strike complex.According to Reuters, North Korea has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles and artillery missiles since late 2023, weapons that Moscow is believed to have used in the war in Ukraine. Analysts believe that the use of these weapons on the battlefield has provided Pyongyang with valuable operational data to improve its missile arsenal.In April, Pyongyang conducted its eighth weapons test this year to “verify the characteristics and strength of the cluster bomb warhead,” state media reported at the time.