North Korea tests a missile it calls intermediate-range

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Saturday, Oct. 3, from Wonsan, on its east coast, toward the Sea of Japan. Hours later, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un and a senior official of the Workers' Party, described the launch as the test of a strategic intermediate-range missile. That description comes only from Pyongyang, and no independent source has confirmed it.

According to AP, in a report published by The Boston Globe, Kim Yo Jong said the weapon can change course at low altitude and that "the enemy" could not track it at its first skip points. She also said it carries artificial intelligence capabilities, without giving details. She said her brother oversaw the test.

Two different measurements

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated a flight of more than 700 kilometers (435 miles). Japan's Defense Ministry calculated about 680 kilometers (423 miles) and a maximum altitude of about 90 kilometers (56 miles), according to Seoul Economic Daily. The missile landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, and no damage to ships or aircraft was reported. Tokyo lodged a formal protest, saying the test violates United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked officials to gather and analyze the information quickly and to give the public accurate details. Seoul said it is analyzing the weapon's specifications.

The clash over the mines

A day earlier, Kim Yo Jong rejected, in a text from North Korea's state news agency KCNA cited by Korea JoongAng Daily, Seoul's demand for an apology over the Sept. 21 explosions in the demilitarized zone. Three South Korean soldiers were wounded. Seoul and the U.N. Command say the North planted the mines, which it denies. On South Korea's proposal to lower tensions, she said they have "no interest" in it.

What Seoul and Tokyo conclude about the missile's real capabilities remains to be seen.