(LEAD) N.K. leader's sister says intermediate-range strategic missile was launched during firing drill

On October 3, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, announced that the country had conducted a firing drill involving an intermediate-range strategic missile. During a dawn drill on October 3, an intermediate-range strategic missile was launched towards the East Sea of Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim Jong-un witnessed the drill conducted by a firepower sub-unit. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff detected North Korea firing a ballistic missile towards the East Sea early Saturday morning from the Wonsan area, with the missile traveling over 700 kilometers. Kim Yo-jong claimed that the superior flight mode of the country's missiles had been verified in practice, noting that the missile's flight distance demonstrated the limitations of the enemy's tracking capability.

She stated that when the wave-like trajectory mode was applied to the missiles, the enemy failed to track the targets from their first skip points, adding that they should acknowledge the missile's speed. Kim also revealed that the missile can change its flight orbit at low altitudes and that artificial intelligence has been introduced into it, implying that there is no way to evade its attack.

The Missile Administration informed Kim that the missile can set at least four flight orbit modes depending on the purpose and target, asserting that no country in the world could have access to such technology for at least several years.