GATEOFWISE.COM
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has elevated the integration of artificial intelligence into drone technology to a central priority in advancing his country’s military arsenal, state media reported Friday.
During a visit to the Unmanned Aeronautical Technology Complex in Pyongyang on Thursday, Kim personally oversaw test flights of multipurpose drones and reconnaissance UAVs, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He stressed that accelerating the adoption of AI in weapons systems is “a top priority” for the military’s future.
Kim further urged the expansion of large scale drone production capacity, describing it as essential to strengthening North Korea’s armed forces.
This inspection follows closely on the heels of a successful test of a solid fuel rocket engine for intercontinental ballistic missiles a step Kim lauded as a major boost to Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities.
The country’s military already wields nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, an expanding nuclear stockpile, and a fledgling satellite program, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has noted. North Korea also maintains around one million active duty soldiers and over seven million reservists out of a population of about 25.6 million.
Uncertainty remains over how advanced North Korea’s AI sector actually is. However, an analysis by the independent group 38 North found that despite international sanctions, Pyongyang has pursued AI research collaborations with academics abroad, particularly in China, indicating determined efforts to keep pace in the global AI race.
China remains North Korea’s primary partner in both AI and broader economic support, though Kim has increasingly cultivated ties with Russia. In 2024, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a defense pact, though analysts say Moscow has reaped more benefits than Pyongyang. Reports suggest North Korea has supplied Moscow with nearly $10 billion worth of weapons and tens of thousands of troops for the war in Ukraine, but received less than $1.2 billion in food, fuel, air defense systems, and possibly some fighter jets in return.
Earlier this month, Kim appeared in Beijing alongside China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, signaling Pyongyang’s ambition to position itself more prominently on the global stage.
U.S. intelligence agencies warned in May that North Korea is now in its strongest strategic posture in decades capable of threatening both U.S. forces and allies in Northeast Asia while advancing its ability to directly target the U.S. itself.
Kim, meanwhile, has dismissed U.S.-South Korea joint military drills as nothing less than rehearsals for war against his nation.
