A new report suggests that North Korea is significantly advancing its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), not only for well known cryptocurrency theft operations but also for military applications.
AI Capabilities for Surveillance and Targeting
According to South Korea's Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), North Korea is now capable of deploying sophisticated AI technologies for facial recognition, voice synthesis, and multi object tracking. This conclusion is based on an analysis of publicly available North
Korean research papers from 2025 that reveal significant advances in accent identification and multi object tracking.
These new capabilities could greatly support surveillance, target identification, voice impersonation, and cryptocurrency theft, augmenting North Korea's asymmetric cyber and military operations.
The INSS study highlights a 2025 paper from the National Academy of Sciences’ Mathematics Research Institute detailing an improved facial recognition system. This system can accurately identify faces even in low light or low resolution footage.
The upgraded model could significantly enhance access control and surveillance around military sites.
Another study documented multi person tracking algorithms, which the INSS suggests could be utilized via CCTV or drones for real time automated surveillance of borders, cities, and military installations.
Modernization Agenda and International Collaboration
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly positioned AI enabled unmanned systems as central to his force modernization agenda. He publicly showcased AI equipped suicide drones in March and stated in September that the use of AI is a "top priority" for upgrading the country's weapons technology and building drone capabilities.
These technological developments could allow the North Korean military to maximize its combat experience in the Ukraine war, where drone warfare has seen significant advances.
Despite international sanctions, North Korea has engaged in cross border collaborative AI research with academics in the US, China, and South Korea, according to an analysis by 38 North. The INSS study specifically identifies collaboration with Russia and China as a key factor accelerating North Korea’s AI deployment. The state media reported in July that North Korea was dispatching AI researchers and students to Russia and other countries. The nation also relies on Chinese distribution networks and Southeast Asian financial channels to obtain necessary equipment.
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