A North Korean hypersonic missile test.<\/p>\n
North Korea\u2019s push to modernize its military is accelerating, fueled by deepening ties with Russia and a focus on artificial intelligence and automated warfare.<\/p>\n
Pyongyang is now in its strongest strategic position in decades, a reality that demands urgent attention.<\/p>\n
On Friday,<\/strong> North Korea unveiled a new generation of missiles and advanced weapons systems at a parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers\u2019 Party of Korea. Such displays aren\u2019t mere theatrics. They offer crucial insights into how far leader Kim Jong Un\u2019s weapons technology has advanced and how much of a direct threat it poses to the U.S. and its allies.<\/p>\n Kim has been on a drive to raise his country\u2019s international stature in recent months. At a Chinese military parade in September, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, a stark visual image of his regime\u2019s clout, its powerful friends and his newfound confidence.<\/p>\n Last year, he signed a mutual defense pact with Moscow, heralding the start of a strategic alliance. Kim has sent thousands of troops, missiles and munitions to aid Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. In return, he gets sophisticated military technology that could transform his forces.<\/p>\n For decades, the fractious relationship between the nuclear-armed North and the U.S.-backed South has been one of the world\u2019s most intractable security dilemmas. But Kim\u2019s new focus marks a dangerous phase.<\/p>\n He is now operating from a place of unprecedented strength. “Kim has become far more focused on modernizing North Korea\u2019s non-nuclear capabilities, as cooperation with Moscow has increased,\u201d Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told me. “He wants to show that he doesn\u2019t run a backward military state and that he can hang his hat with the best of them.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say South Korea and the U.S. are falling behind \u2014 they are still far more capable, Panda adds, but Kim\u2019s ambitions are clear. He wants a stronger and more modern military, so that he can maintain his tight grip at home and project more power overseas.<\/p>\n Japan, too, is watching the military buildup with growing alarm. In its 2025 Defense White Paper, Tokyo warned that North Korea\u2019s hypersonic missile program now represents a grave and imminent threat to security. The deepening military partnership with Moscow is especially worrisome, given the risk of technology transfers that could speed up Pyongyang\u2019s pursuit of more advanced weapons.<\/p>\n The regime is increasingly focused on artificial intelligence and unmanned systems, notes the Seoul-based Institute for National Security Strategy. This shift in strategy introduces a destabilizing element to the regional security equation. In September, as U.S. and South Korea kicked off joint military exercises, Kim inspected the performance test of unmanned weapons and equipment at one of his factories. He\u2019s declared that AI-powered drones are a priority.<\/p>\n Closer ties between Pyongyang and Moscow are having economic consequences, too. Last year, North Korea expanded at its fastest pace since 2016, according to South Korea\u2019s central bank, in part helped by the export of munitions to Russia. This alliance is effectively insulating Kim\u2019s regime from crippling international sanctions, blunting the financial pressure that has long been central to the U.S.\u2019s containment strategy.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear that the current combination of sanctions, diplomatic pressure and incentives to get Kim to roll back his nuclear program and military advancements aren\u2019t working. Dialogue is crucial. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to meet the North Korean leader, an initiative that Seoul is backing. An opportunity could arise in October, when Trump attends the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.<\/p>\n Loosening Pyongyang\u2019s ties to Moscow will be imperative. During his first term, Trump\u2019s diplomacy with Kim did little to slow North Korea\u2019s nuclear ambitions. Since then, Kim has rejected further talks with Washington and aligned more closely with Russia.<\/p>\n Acceptance that North Korea is already a nuclear state, as my colleague Gearoid Reidy has argued, could help improve ties and pave the way for an arms-control deal between Washington and Pyongyang. Kim would then have far less reason to lean on authoritarian partners such as Putin. Reducing its cooperation with Moscow would also slow Pyongyang\u2019s military modernization, buying valuable time to rebuild U.S.-North Korea engagement and revive inter-Korean dialogue.<\/p>\n All of this will require deft diplomacy, currently sorely lacking in the White House. But the stakes are far higher now than they were in Trump\u2019s first term. A nuclear-armed, technologically advancing North Korea is not just a Korean Peninsula problem. It\u2019s a direct challenge to global stability.<\/p>\n