Kim Jong Un Calls for Artificial Intelligence and Automation in North Korea’s Weapons Systems

The Ukraine War and the Rise of Military AI

The war in Ukraine has accelerated international attention toward military AI and unmanned systems.

Both sides have used drones extensively for reconnaissance and attack missions.

AI-related technologies can potentially help military organizations process the enormous quantity of information generated by drones and other sensors.

The battlefield has also demonstrated the importance of inexpensive systems.

Not every military capability requires an expensive aircraft or missile.

Small drones can perform useful missions at relatively low cost.

This has encouraged militaries around the world to explore combinations of traditional weapons and unmanned systems.

North Korea’s interest in AI, drones and automation should therefore be viewed within a much broader global military-technology trend.

North Korea’s Defense Manufacturing Capacity

Production capacity is one of the most important factors in any sustained military modernization program.

Weapons require raw materials, machinery, electronics, fuel, maintenance equipment and trained workers.

They also require quality control.

If a country cannot maintain consistent production standards, simply increasing production numbers may not result in reliable military capability.

Kim Jong Un’s instructions to military factories therefore emphasize both production expansion and technical modernization.

North Korean state media said the country’s major munitions enterprises were working toward production objectives and expanding their capacity.

The emphasis on production also reflects the importance of ammunition.

Artillery forces can consume large quantities of ammunition during sustained operations.

The ability to manufacture and replenish ammunition can therefore influence military endurance.

North Korea has long maintained a large conventional artillery force.

Modernizing its factories could allow it to sustain and potentially expand that capability.

September 20, 2026 | 7:26 pm