North Korea turns to Russia for AI development help
However, with only three chip plants in operation, North Korea’s ambitions for large-scale AI deployment might face serious hardware constraints.
North Korea is dispatching AI researchers, interns and students to countries such as Russia in an effort to strengthen its domestic tech sector, according to a report by NK News.
The move comes despite strict UN sanctions that restrict technological exchange, particularly in high-priority areas like AI.
Kim Kwang Hyok, head of the AI Institute at Kim Il Sung University, confirmed the strategy in an interview with a pro-Pyongyang outlet in Japan. He admitted that international restrictions remain a major hurdle but noted that researchers continue developing AI applications within North Korea regardless.
Among the projects cited is ‘Ryongma’, a multilingual translation app supporting English, Russian, and Chinese, which has been available on mobile devices since 2021.
Kim also mentioned efforts to develop an AI-driven platform for a hospital under construction in Pyongyang. However, technical limitations remain considerable, with just three known semiconductor plants operating in the country.
While Russia may seem like a natural partner, its own dependence on imported hardware limits how much it can help.
A former South Korean diplomat told NK News that Moscow lacks the domestic capacity to provide high-performance chips essential for advanced AI work, making large-scale collaboration difficult.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!