Kim Jong-un's AI Ambitions | Biography Flash cover art

Kim Jong-un's AI Ambitions | Biography Flash

Kim Jong-un's AI Ambitions | Biography Flash

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 Kim Jong-un Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

Kim Jong-un has dominated North Korean headlines this week, steering the state towards a future shaped by drones and artificial intelligence. On Thursday, Kim personally supervised the testing of new reconnaissance and attack drones at an airfield near Pyongyang where state media released images showing him beside an aircraft strikingly similar to the US-made Global Hawk. Although North Korea’s technological prowess is far behind, observers like Yang Uk from Seoul’s Asan Institute point out the regime’s intent to showcase these new capabilities as part of wider military modernization efforts, particularly as the country gears up for the 80th anniversary of the Workers Party on October 10. Kim declared the mass production of military drones and the development of AI as “top priorities,” signaling a new era of warfare for the regime—though experts caution North Korean AI remains in its infancy.

Making this story even more significant, Kim praised the “excellent combat effectiveness” of his drones and underscored the expansion and strengthening of drone production as nonnegotiable for North Korea’s future. Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification calls this a critical step for Kim’s ambition to secure “great power status.” With attack drones linked to Russia and speculation about North Korean troops gaining battlefield experience in drone warfare on Russian soil, the stakes of these developments extend far beyond the Korean Peninsula.

On the diplomatic front, Kim has been rehearsing his best moves at Mirim Airport for the upcoming military parade, an event set to be one of North Korea’s largest in years, with the anticipation that senior officials from Russia and China will attend. Analysts expect Kim to use the parade to unveil new systems—possibly the next-generation Hwasong-19 ICBM and advanced suicide drones—solidifying his international clout and counterbalancing South Korea’s own diplomatic summit later in October.

Meanwhile, Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, continues to attract attention. Multiple South Korean lawmakers and the country’s intelligence service revealed that her recent trip to Beijing, where she joined her father and met Chinese and Russian presidents at Victory Day, was a calculated step towards positioning her as Kim’s successor. The regime’s decision to minimize her public exposure in Beijing, reportedly managing even basic supplies through special aircraft, signals the seriousness of her emerging role.

On the economic front, Kim celebrated the opening of North Korea’s largest greenhouse near the Chinese border, hailing it as a “treasure island” destined to boost local prosperity. State media coverage of this visit signals the regime’s drive to emphasize domestic achievements and development projects as part of the anniversary narrative.

No confirmed personal social media appearances by Kim have surfaced—the leader remains conspicuously absent from informal digital platforms. All reported activities are filtered through state media, which is devoted to burnishing his image ahead of the October 10 parade and reinforcing his authority as North Korea’s visionary.

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