In a development that South Korea, Japan and the United States are likely to find deeply alarming, North Korea launched AI-guided cruise missiles in a test that analysts have described as the first of its kind for the sanctioned country.

The launch and test was overseen by Kim Jong-un early this week, and it was presented as part of his new military modernization and preparedness initiative which has been greatly hyped by Pyongyang over the last several years.

North Korea's goal is "to build the most modern and powerful artillery force which no one can match," Kim said according to state Korea Central News Agency (KCNA).

The army, he warned, should possess enough "destructive power" to make survival "impossible" for any enemy it strikes, the KCNA report continued.

The tactical missile utilizes "AI terminal guidance function" - which allows artificial intelligence to guide the missile during its final stage, until it reaches its target.

Pyongyang has never before acknowledged using AI in its missile systems, which Monday's successful test marks a milestone. Kim further hailed that tests were a "clear signal of upgrading of our military force" and expressed "great satisfaction" at the exercises.

Additionally, "The tests in particular confirmed the combat readiness of cruise missiles that will be deployed at artillery units near the border with ​South Korea equipped with precision navigation and AI-guided control that can strike targets at 100 km (62 miles)," Kim ​said.

According to some analysis of the launch featured by Reuters:

"It's about using ​AI when recognising the ​target and guiding the ⁠missile," said Yang Uk, a military expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. The North has previously said it had used AI technology in its drones.

Hong ​Min at the Korea Institute for National Unification said the North's claim likely ​involves an upgraded ⁠version of an existing digital guidance system combined with automatic target recognition technology, although the degree of its sophistication is impossible to verify from the report.

Pyongyang has also of late been touting modernization of the military's nuclear forces. It continues to expand its nuclear and missile capabilities, including plans to deploy new long-range artillery systems near the border with South Korea.

Meanwhile, South Korea's government has said it remains committed to its policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and will review the implications of the changes. But it has frequently hosted US military drills, which the north naturally sees as a serious threat to its national security.