North Korea said on Saturday it test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile that it claimed has manoeuvrable flight capabilities designed to evade missile defences in
South Korea and
Japan. The latest test comes amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas over border landmine blasts.
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un, said her brother supervised the test of the missile, which she described as strategic, implying it was designed to deliver nuclear weapons. She also said it could change its flight trajectory at low altitudes and was equipped with unspecified artificial intelligence capabilities that she claimed would make it highly difficult to intercept.
Japan’s military said the missile landed in waters outside its exclusive economic zone.
The South Korean military, which often accuses North Korea of exaggerating its military capabilities, did not immediately comment on Kim’s claims.
