North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered a "radical" strengthening of the country's military reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities. The move aims to make up for weak intelligence-gathering capacity and to build intelligence-sharing relationships with Russia and China.
Kim made the remarks while presiding over a meeting earlier this month, according to The Wall Street Journal on the 25th. North Korean state media reported that the goal is to control threats from potential enemy states and to collect key intelligence. North Korea agreed to receive satellite technology in return for supporting Russia in the Russia-Ukraine war.
North Korea has been credited with major espionage achievements. The 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures escalated into a U.S. security crisis. In 2016, it stole South Korea-U.S. military operation plans. The following year, it was identified as the force behind the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, Kim's half-brother, in Malaysia.
Still, North Korea's intelligence-gathering capabilities are assessed as inadequate. It lacks tools such as an extensive overseas spy network or a global satellite network. North Korea's public mention of its spy program is unusual. The organization is a massive body formed in 2011, just before Kim took power. Last year, it was reorganized as the "Reconnaissance and Intelligence General Bureau" after the word "intelligence" was added to its name.
Its intelligence shortcomings are serious. It has far fewer overseas missions than the United States and other Western countries. According to Australia's Lowy Institute, North Korea had 43 overseas missions as of 2024, far short of the United States' 271. That leaves it short of the mission personnel needed to gather intelligence abroad. Cut off from the international financial network by international sanctions, North Korean spies must fund themselves by stealing cryptocurrency, former North Korean officials said.
The absence of a reconnaissance satellite network is also a weakness, as it cannot conduct high-level reconnaissance like the United States and Russia. Kim's immediate task is therefore to build a reconnaissance satellite network. North Korea has placed just one reconnaissance satellite in orbit, far from the constellation of satellites needed for meaningful reconnaissance. The publicly available satellite data provided by Google Earth is actually more detailed than the imagery North Korea collects. South Korea's National Intelligence Service said Russia is sharing satellite technology with North Korea in return for troop deployment to the Ukraine war.
"Being Underestimated by the West Is Their Greatest Weapon"…North Korea Builds Signals Intelligence Network With Russia, China
North Korea could build an intelligence-sharing relationship with Russia and China similar to the "Five Eyes," predicted Joseph Bermudez, a North Korea analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the United States. The Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing network involving the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Cybersecurity experts note that Russian and North Korean cyber operatives are already cooperating on malware development.
"Cyber warriors can each focus on different regions and share intelligence," Bermudez said, describing it as "a division of labor to secure classified data."
Kim has signaled his willingness to cooperate with like-minded countries. Historically, North Korean diplomats and trade representatives stationed abroad have effectively served as arms dealers and intelligence couriers. According to a United Nations report, North Korean hackers who have attempted to infiltrate defense contractors and government agencies have also operated from bases in countries with which North Korea has diplomatic ties, such as Russia and China.
The North Korean regime is expanding its relations with anti-U.S. countries. In March, Kim held his first summit with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russia. Belarus plans to open its first embassy in Pyongyang by next month. A former official predicted that the expansion of overseas missions would allow North Korean intelligence agencies to intercept more overseas communications.
"North Korea is not bound by international ethical norms, so it will expand its activities through hacking and theft," the official said. "North Korea's greatest strength is that the West underestimates them."
