North Korea says it tested new torpedo system with AI capabilities

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Saturday 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 Thursday 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 Wednesday, 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 Sept. 20 and Oct. 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 Oct. 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.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, front left, his wife and their daughter tour a new defense museum called National Defence Revolution Museum at an undisclosed location in North Korea, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Trudy strengthened slightly Friday evening as it moved towards southwestern and west-central areas of Mexico's Pacific coast and could keep growing through Saturday, forecasters said.

The center of Trudy will approach the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico on Saturday and pass near the coast Saturday night into Sunday. A hurricane warning was in effect from Manzanillo in Colima state to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco.

The storm was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kmh) on Friday night.

It was reported as Category 3 early Friday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami later said satellite wind data showed it was weaker than indicated.

Trudy was about 210 miles (335 kilometers) southwest of Acapulco, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and about 290 miles (465 kilometers) south-southeast of Manzanillo, Colima state, while moving north slightly faster, at 7 mph (11 kph), the center said.

The Mexican Navy urged the maritime community and coastal residents to exercise extreme caution due to high waves, heavy rains, and the risk of rising river levels, flooding, and landslides in vulnerable areas.

The state of Colima has said that risks are currently low, but the storm could bring significant rainfall that could have damaging effects due to the saturated ground following the successive storms that have hit the Pacific coast.

Through the weekend, Trudy is expected to produce 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain, with isolated higher totals around 15 inches along and near the southwest Mexican coast in Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.

To the northwest of Trudy, the remnants of Hurricane Simon dissipated Friday near the Southern end of South Baja California. It had 40 mph (65 kph) winds and was forecast to keep weakening.

Also in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Champi was intensifying and moving west towards Marianas, moving west at 13 mph (20 kph), with maximum sustained winds increasing to 60 mph (96 kph), according to the U.S. Weather Service and the U.S. Navy's Meteorology and Oceanography Command website.

A typhoon warning was issued for Guam and Rota along with a tropical storm warning for Tinian, Saipan and nearby areas.

This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and taken on Thursday, Oct. 15 2026, shows Hurricane Trudy in the Pacific. (NOAA via AP)