North Korea says it test-fired an intermediate-range missile as tensions grow over mine blasts

North Korea said Saturday (October 3, 2026) 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 land mine blasts.

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Kim Yo Jong, the 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.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said early Saturday (October 3) it detected the North Korean missile being launched from the eastern coastal Wonsan area and flying more than 700 kilometres (435 miles). Japan’s Defence Ministry later said it detected the missile flying about 680 kilometres (422 miles).

Ms. Kim argued in her statement that the differing flight details between the neighbouring U.S. allies proved they couldn’t properly track the missile in flight.

“Whenever we applied the wavelike trajectory mode to missiles, the enemy failed to track the targets from their first skip points,” she said. “There is no way to avoid this attack.”

The launch came a day after she ridiculed South Korean demands for the North to apologise over the Sept. 21 land mine blasts, which occurred about 10 meters (11 yards) south of the countries’ military demarcation line, injuring three South Korean soldiers.

South Korea said a joint inspection of the site with the U.S.-led United Nations Command found that the blasts were caused by mines planted by North Korea. The command later determined that the North Korea violated the armistice agreement that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The South has also called on the North to halt its recent border fortification efforts, including the installation of mines and anti-tank barriers, which have accelerated after Kim Jong Un in 2024 abandoned his government’s long-standing goal of reconciliation with the South and declared Seoul a permanent adversary.

Kim Yo Jong, possibly the second-most powerful figure in Pyongyang, dismissed Seoul’s demands over the mine blasts as “utterly pathetic” on Friday, saying the North intends to cut ties with the South forever. In a statement on Sept. 30, she denied North Korean responsibility for the blasts and threatened to retaliate if South Korea fires on North Korean troops fortifying the border.