North Korea says it test-fired a new high-speed, precision-guided torpedo on Thursday that uses artificial intelligence to find and guide toward targets, Chosun Biz and AFP reported. State media announced the test on Saturday, Chosun Biz and AFP reported.

The underwater test was held "to confirm the successful technical updating" of the weapon, the Korean Central News Agency said, according to AFP. "AI technology was applied to the target detection and the guidance function," the agency said, according to AFP. Chosun Biz reported that the test was run by North Korea's Academy of Defense Sciences, its Missile General Bureau and its Mine and Torpedo Research Bureau.

The test proved the core technology for the torpedo's propulsion and the performance of its rocket motor, state media said, according to Chosun Biz and AFP. The work took about 180 tests over five years, the agency said, according to Chosun Biz and AFP. Leader Kim Jong Un does not appear to have attended, Chosun Biz reported.

Experts say it is likely a supercavitating torpedo, which travels inside a bubble of gas to move faster than normal torpedoes, Chosun Biz reported. A professor at Kyungnam University said the weapon is aimed at key South Korean navy ships and is hard to detect or evade, according to Chosun Biz. "South Korea and the United States deploy decoy targets to divert torpedoes, but AI could potentially help distinguish real targets from decoys," the professor said, according to AFP.

The test came days after North Korea said it had fired two types of cruise missiles from a submarine, AFP reported. Earlier this month, it announced the AI-assisted launch of a hypersonic missile, AFP reported. Analysts say Russian help, given in exchange for troops sent to fight in Ukraine, may be speeding up its weapons work, AFP reported.

The test also comes after weeks of friction with Seoul over a landmine blast on the border, AFP reported.

What we know: North Korea says it tested an AI-guided torpedo on Thursday, and analysts see it as a threat to South Korean warships.
What we don't: Whether the weapon works as claimed, since the details come only from North Korean state media.