TLDR: North Korea’s Kim Il Sung University is reportedly sending artificial intelligence (AI) researchers, students, and trainees to Russia, a move that appears to defy UN Security Council Resolution 2321, which prohibits scientific and technological cooperation with Pyongyang. This development was confirmed by a top AI official from the university, highlighting North Korea’s advancements in AI, including generative AI research, and its deepening alignment with Russia.
Pyongyang, North Korea – In a move that raises international concerns, North Korea is reportedly deploying artificial intelligence (AI) researchers, students, and trainees to Russia. This development, confirmed by a high-ranking official from Kim Il Sung University, comes amidst stringent United Nations sanctions aimed at curbing Pyongyang’s technological cooperation with other nations.
Kim Kwang-hyuk, who heads the AI Technology Research Institute within the Department of Information Science at Kim Il Sung University, disclosed this information in an interview with the Chosun Sinbo, a newspaper affiliated with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, on July 21, 2025. When questioned about international cooperation in AI technology, Kim stated, ‘We are sending students, trainees, and researchers to other countries including Russia.’
This dispatch appears to be in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 2321, adopted in November 2016, which explicitly prohibits scientific and technological cooperation with North Korea. The timing of this collaboration also suggests a deepening alignment between North Korea and Russia, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Kim Kwang-hyuk also provided insights into North Korea’s domestic AI capabilities, asserting that AI technology has become ‘popularized’ within the country’s daily life. He cited widespread use of programs for voice recognition, text recognition, and machine translation. As an example, he mentioned the ‘Ryongma’ translation program, developed at his institute, which is capable of translating between seven languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, French, and Spanish. This program has reportedly been installed on mobile phones since 2021.
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Looking ahead, Kim emphasized North Korea’s focus on advanced AI, stating, ‘Now is the era of transition to generative artificial intelligence technology.’ He added that his institute is ‘actively conducting research on generative AI technology,’ with a primary objective to ‘develop generative AI technology based on the Korean language that will be practically beneficial to the people.’ This indicates North Korea’s ambition to not only acquire but also develop cutting-edge AI capabilities, potentially with Russian assistance, despite international sanctions.
