North Korea said on Saturday (October 17, 2026) it had successfully tested a new torpedo system that uses artificial intelligence for target detection and guidance.

The Korean Central News Agency said the weapon tested on Thursday (October 15, 2026) was a “super-speed, precisely guided” torpedo system named Zam-2.0. It didn’t explain what was meant by artificial intelligence.

The report added that test verified the weapon’s propulsion systems, which were developed through more than 180 tests over the past five years.

South Korea’s military, which often accuses the North of exaggerating its military technologies, did not immediately comment on KCNA’s report.

North Korea has been ramping up weapons demonstrations in recent weeks, including conducting its first underwater-launched missile tests in nearly three years, as leader Kim Jong Un shifts his focus to naval capabilities after years of ballistic missile development. Experts say the missile tests, carried out on Wednesday (October 14, 2026), likely involved a yet-to-be-deployed submarine that Pyongyang has said is designed to launch nuclear weapons.

North Korea also tested hypersonic missile systems of various ranges on September 20 and October 3 as it seeks to expand its arsenal of weapons designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea and Japan. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, claimed that the missiles tested on October 3 also used artificial intelligence technology.

But some experts say that while North Korea is likely improving its guidance software, it’s doubtful that the country’s weapons really have advanced digital capabilities such as autonomous target designation,

Kim Jong Un in recent years has halted all diplomacy and cooperation with South Korea and described it as a permanent enemy, as a yearslong stalemate in nuclear negotiations with Washington drags on.

North Korea says it has test-fired cruise missiles designed to be fired from submarines as it continues to expand its military capabilities during a prolonged freeze in diplomacy with Washington and Seoul.

North Korean state media on Thursday (October 15, 2026) said the military tested two types of such missiles in the country’s eastern waters on Wednesday (October 14, 2026). The report described the weapons as strategic, implying an intent to arm them with nuclear warheads, but did not specify whether they were launched from an actual submarine or an underwater test platform.

North Korean state media said the tests were aimed at assessing the readiness of the country’s underwater combat systems, improving the Navy’s ability to carry out strategic missions and demonstrating the reliability of its nuclear deterrent.

The South’s military did not immediately comment on the tests.

The launches extended a recent run in weapons demonstrations, including tests of various hypersonic missile systems on September 20 and October 3 that the North said were aimed at advancing its arsenal of weapons designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea and Japan.

North Korea in recent weeks has also conducted live-fire drills and commissioned a new warship as leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his nuclear weapons program while rejecting U.S. and South Korean offers to resume long-stalled diplomacy.

Mr. Kim in recent years has halted all diplomacy and cooperation with South Korea and described it as a permanent enemy amid a year long stalemate in larger nuclear negotiations with Washington.

He has so far rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to revive their diplomacy, which broke down in 2019. His government has called for Washington to abandon its “hostile” policy toward Pyongyang and drop demands for North Korea’s denuclearization as a precondition for talks.

North Korea criticised ​the United States over its arms sales and military ‌support for Taiwan, accusing Washington of fuelling tensions ​in the Taiwan Strait, state media ⁠KCNA said on Wednesday (October 7, 2026).

A KCNA commentary citing North Korean international affairs analyst Kim Myong Chol said U.S. policy ‌on Taiwan was undermining peace and stability in the region.

The commentary condemned the appearance ‌of U.S.-sold fighter aircraft in Taiwan, saying ‌the ⁠U.S. “should think twice whether it is ready ⁠to stand in frontal confrontation with the powerful national power of the People’s Republic of China for the security of ​Taiwan and whether it ‌can cope with its consequences.”

The first two of a batch of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered in 2019 arrived in ‌Taiwan last week, as Taiwan faces a rising ​military threat from Beijing which claims the democratically governed island as its own ⁠territory.

Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged continued support for Russia and its war effort ‌in a birthday message to President Vladimir Putin, state media KCNA said on Wednesday (October 7, 2026).

Mr. Kim said Pyongyang would continue to expand joint work under the countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership, saying he was convinced that Russia’s “sacred war of justice” to defend its ‌sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity would end in ​victory, KCNA said.

The message did not explicitly mention Russia’s war in Ukraine. North Korea ⁠has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to ⁠support Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates.

North ‌Korea and Russia have strengthened ties sharply since Putin and Kim signed a mutual defence ​pact in June 2024.

North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile in a ⁠test overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA reported on Sunday (October 4, 2026).

KCNA said the missile was launched on Saturday (October 3, 2026) from eastern North Korea ‌and hit a target 1,000 km (621 miles) in the sea off the country’s east coast. It said ‌the drill was intended to train troops operating a hypersonic ‌strategic ⁠weapon system and to assess the reliability, efficiency and ⁠mobility of the country’s war deterrent.

The launch was the latest in a series of North Korean weapons tests this year and came as tensions on the ​Korean peninsula escalated over a ‌landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone last month that wounded South Korean soldiers.

The KCNA report provided additional details about the missile launch disclosed on Saturday by Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim ‌Jong Un and a senior official in the ​ruling Workers’ Party.

Kim Yo Jong said South Korea and Japan had failed to track the weapon’s flight, saying ⁠a special “wave-like trajectory mode” had exposed limitations in their tracking capabilities.

South Korea’s military said on Saturday (October 3, 2026) it had detected a ballistic missile ‌launch by North Korea and assessed the missile had flown more than 700 km toward the sea off its eastern coast.

According to KCNA on Sunday (October 4, 2026), Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang must continue efforts to make its enemies recognise the “reliability and fatality” of its strategic offensive weapons and reaffirmed that developing its nuclear ‌war deterrent remained essential for national security.

The test came amid heightened tensions ​after Kim Yo Jong issued a sharply worded statement on Friday (October 2, 2026) rejecting Seoul’s demand for an apology over the ⁠landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone that seriously wounded South Korean ⁠soldiers.

South Korea has blamed North Korea for planting the mines and called for an apology. Kim Yo Jong ‌called Seoul’s accusation “groundless” and said North Korea had not deliberately laid mines targeting South Korean troops.

North Korea has carried out ​more than 10 missile tests this year.

Two members of North Korea’s delegation to the ​Asian Games in Japan are ‌looking to seek asylum, South Korea’s ​Monthly Chosun magazine reported ⁠on Tuesday (September 22, 2026).

Citing a source it identified as an official from Japan’s Cabinet ‌Intelligence and Research Office, the magazine said the two were ‌among a 180-member North ‌Korean ⁠delegation attending the Aichi-Nagoya Asian ⁠Games, which opened on Saturday (September 19).

Keep track | Asian Games 2026 LIVE: India beats Sri Lanka in women’s cricket for first gold medal; PM Modi congratulates team

The two North Koreans expressed a preference to seek ​asylum in Japan ‌rather than South Korea and have communicated their intention not to return home, the report said.

Their ‌identities and positions within the ​delegation were not disclosed, and it remained unclear whether ⁠their reported outreach would ultimately lead to a defection, according to ‌Monthly Chosun.

The magazine said the information was obtained through a source connected to Japan’s intelligence apparatus and linked to the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in ‌Japan, known as Chongryon.

North Korea sent ​about 180 athletes and officials to the Games, including Sports ⁠Minister Kim Il-guk, according to media ⁠reports.

Reuters could not immediately reach the Japanese government for ‌comment on a national holiday in Japan.

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the influential ‌sister of leader Kim Jong Un, ​on Friday (September 18, 2026) blamed U.S.-led military ⁠drills for “ever-worsening” tensions on the Korean Peninsula and vowed no change in the country’s ‌course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.

In a statement carried by state ‌media KCNA, Ms. Kim referred ‌to the ⁠Pacific Vanguard 2026 naval exercise ⁠near Guam, calling it another threatening U.S.-led “war game” and part of Washington’s efforts to expand military ​influence in the ‌Asia-Pacific region through cooperation with allies including South Korea and Japan.

She said the current situation highlighted the need ‌for North Korea to take responsive ​measures “proportional or more offensive in its nature” and warned that the ⁠country’s armed forces would “mobilize all means available” if its security or national interests ‌were violated.

The statement was Ms. Kim’s second in two days. On Thursday (September 17, 2026), she rejected renewed calls for North Korea’s denuclearisation at an International Atomic Energy Agency conference and reiterated Pyongyang’s position ‌that its status as a nuclear weapons ​state is irreversible.

Pacific Vanguard 2026, a multilateral exercise led by the ⁠U.S. Navy and involving the navies of South ⁠Korea, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan in the vicinity ‌of Guam, ran from August 29 to September 10, according to Japan’s ​Maritime Self-Defence Force.

North Korea said on Monday (September 14, 2026) it conducted a joint live-fire drill involving missiles, artillery and drones that it claimed demonstrated “the huge destructive power of concentration fire.” The official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday’s (September 12) drill was meant to get familiar with the procedure for the operation of the integrated firepower control system. South Korea’s military earlier said it detected short-range ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area on Saturday (September 12) morning.

After observing the drill, Marshal Pak Jong Chon said the drill would “improve the level of specialisation to bring down the enemy’s armed forces organisationally and structurally once an order is issued.” He added the weapons systems mobilised demonstrated “the huge destructive power of concentration fire,” according to KCNA.

It is extremely difficult to independently verify North Korean claims on its weapons tests. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several missiles fired Saturday flew about 250 kilometres each in a direction toward North Korea’s eastern waters. The flight distances signal the weapons are designed to strike targets in South Korea.

The firing drill marked North Korea’s first public ballistic missile launches in about three weeks.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump scaled back a major bilateral military drill with South Korea, citing what he called a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That is an apparent effort to revive diplomacy between them, but North Korea rebuffed Mr. Trump’s overture saying just shortening the drill will not change its “provocative, aggressive nature.” Buoyed by his advancing nuclear arsenal and deepened ties with Russia and China, experts say Mr. Kim likely thinks he has greater leverage in possible diplomacy with the U.S. than when he first met Mr. Trump in 2018-19.

Mr. Kim said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its “hostile policy” against his country and respects what he calls the North’s status as a nuclear state.

North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Saturday (September 12, 2026), its neighbours said, a day after the U.S., South Korea and Japan ended their trilateral military drill that North Korea views as a provocation.

The North Korean ballistic launch event, the first in about three weeks, came as the country was continuing its weapons display after rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back a major bilateral military drill with South Korea in a goodwill gesture.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launches of several missiles from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area. It said the missiles flew about 250 kilometres each in a direction toward North Korea’s eastern waters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it has boosted its surveillance posture and was closely exchanging information on the launches with the U.S. and Japan.

South Korea’s presidential national security council issued a statement urging North Korea to halt ballistic missile firings that violate UN Security Council resolutions.

The U.S. Pacific Command said the North’s launch event did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or to its allies. It said the U.S. remains committed to the defence of the U.S. homeland and its allies in the region.

On Friday (September 11, 2026), the U.S., South Korea and Japan ended their five-day Freedom Edge exercise as scheduled. The U.S. Pacific Command said the militaries of the three countries “trained side by side across air, sea and cyber domains, sharpening the interoperability that keeps the region secure.” It cited maritime maneuvers, air refuelling, cyber coordination and medical drills.

South Korea’s military earlier said the exercise is defensive in nature and meant to enhance a joint response capability against North Korean nuclear threats.

Hours after the trilateral exercise began Monday (September 7, 2026), North Korea’s defence minister Kim Song Gi criticised the exercise and threatened to take “strong and reflective countermeasures from the standpoint of power.” On Sunday (September 6, 2026), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for building a more reliable nuclear deterrent in a ceremony marking the commissioning of the country’s second naval destroyer. North Korea has said its two destroyers can carry nuclear-capable missiles. The second destroyer was damaged earlier during a botched launch last year, but it was relaunched after repairs.

Mr. Kim has been focusing on expanding his nuclear arsenal after his high-stakes diplomacy with Mr. Trump collapsed in 2019. In the last month, Mr. Trump ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with South Korea. He cited what he called a good relationship with Mr. Kim, who views the drill as an invasion rehearsal.

But Mr. Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, rebuffed Mr. Trump’s move, saying just shortening the drill would not change its “provocative, aggressive nature.” North Korea’s military later launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, apparently following through with its previous threat to respond to the U.S.-South Korean drill.

Now apparently emboldened by his advancing nuclear programme and deepened ties with Russia and China, experts say Mr. Kim wants greater U.S. concessions in potential diplomacy with the U.S.. Kim Jong Un said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its “hostile policy” against his country and respects what he calls the North’s status as a nuclear state.

While World and Olympic medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is treading cautiously in search of an elusive Asian Games medal, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Chanambam Rishikanta Singh has been ruled out due to a recurring knee injury.

With no Chinese lifter in the fray in the women’s 49kg category, Mirabai — who won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow with an aggregate of 190kg — has her best chance to open her account in the continental extravaganza.

Mirabai missed the 2018 Asian Games due to a back issue and was injured on the competition platform during the next edition in 2023.

According to chief coach Vijay Sharma, seasoned North Korean Ri Song Gum, Thailand’s Kaeosingkhon Suthasini and Taiwan’s Fang Wan-ling will be Mirabai’s main competitors. Since Ri is a notch above the rest, the 32-year-old Mirabai needs to beat the other two in a field of eight to break the jinx.

“Anything around a 200kg total would get us a medal. A medal is our target, not the total,” Sharma told The Hindu.

Mirabai promptly resumed training after winning gold in Glasgow in July. “She needed to train as she was troubled by shoulder and wrist injuries after the National championships in February. Now, we are not overloading her and playing it safe. The focus is on her fitness,” said Sharma.

The coach added that the three other women lifters in the Indian squad — Gyaneshwari Yadav (53kg), Nirupama Devi (61kg) and Harjinder Kaur (69kg) — would try to achieve their personal bests.

Rishikanta (60kg), the lone male weightlifter in the Indian squad, will not compete in Japan. “He has been carrying the injury for some time. He managed to claim the Commonwealth Games silver despite the injury. But he will not be able to take part in the Asian Games,” said Sharma.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised tests of a nuclear-capable cruise missile and other weapons aboard a new 5,000-ton destroyer, the Kang Kon, repaired after being damaged in a failed launch ceremony last year, state media said Sunday (July 5, 2026), in the latest military display marking Mr. Kim’s push to build a nuclear-armed Navy.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Friday’s (July 3, 2026) event included test-firings of a strategic cruise missile and of the Kang Kon’s main gun and automatic cannons, as well as trials of its electronic warfare systems and assessments of its target-detection and information-processing capabilities.

After observing the tests from shore, Mr. Kim ordered officials to complete the destroyer’s trials and place the vessel in active duty within two months, the state news agency said.

The tests came after North Korea in late June commissioned its first 5,000-ton destroyer, the Choe Hyon, a milestone Mr. Kim marked with a lavish ceremony where he declared that the nuclear armament of his Navy was proceeding as planned.

After years of prioritizing ballistic missile development, Mr. Kim has increasingly turned his focus to naval capabilities, including the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. While outlining his five-year military goals at February’s Workers’ Party congress, Mr. Kim also called for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches.

North Korea first unveiled the Choe Hyon in April 2025, which Mr. Kim portrayed as a major step toward expanding his military’s operational reach and preemptive strike capabilities. KCNA has said the warship is equipped with a range of systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles.

South Korean officials and experts say the vessel was likely built with Russian assistance amid deepening military ties between the countries, but some analysts have questioned how effective the vessel would be in active service.

The Kang Kon was unveiled a month after the Choe Hyon in May 2025, but it was damaged during a botched launch at the northern port of Chongjin, prompting a furious response from Mr. Kim. The country later said the ship was relaunched in June after repairs, but outside experts have questioned whether it’s genuinely ready for active duty.

Mr. Kim has also called for building two new 5,000-ton warships annually over the next five years, as well as developing a larger 10,000-ton destroyer.