Kim Jong-un wants to strengthen North Korea's spy network

2026-07-26 22:37:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

North Korea is said to have achieved some impressive results in the field of intelligence in recent years.

The 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures became a national security crisis for the United States. In 2016, Pyongyang hackers stole military files from the United States and South Korea. The following year, North Korean agents were accused of orchestrating the assassination of Kim's half-brother in Malaysia.

However, despite its successes, North Korea lags significantly behind in its intelligence-gathering capabilities. It does not have a vast international espionage network or the means to create a global satellite surveillance system.

Now, Kim is seeking to change that. He recently chaired a meeting in which he called for “radical” improvements in the military’s reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering capabilities, according to state media. The goal is to more effectively counter threats from potential adversaries and gather critical information.

Pyongyang has not provided further details about the future mission of the country’s intelligence agency, a large organization that was reorganized shortly before Kim took power in 2011. However, last year, the agency was renamed from the “General Intelligence and Reconnaissance Office” to the “General Intelligence and Reconnaissance Office.” The change suggests that Kim’s regime wants to expand its covert operations abroad. Its responsibilities include traditional espionage, cyber operations and spy satellites.

North Korea also has far fewer embassies than the United States and other Western countries. According to the Lowy Institute, in 2024 North Korea maintained 43 diplomatic missions abroad, compared to 271 for the United States. As a result, it lacks diplomatic staff that can gather intelligence abroad.

North Korea also lacks the extensive satellite networks that allow countries like the United States and Russia to conduct advanced reconnaissance operations. For this reason, Kim’s immediate priority is to create a network of spy satellites. To date, Pyongyang has put only one such satellite into orbit. For example, publicly available Google Earth satellite data is more comprehensive than the imagery North Korea itself can collect.

According to South Korean intelligence, Russia is sharing its satellite technology with North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang's decision to send troops to support Moscow in the war against Ukraine.

North Korea could also develop a relationship with Russia and China similar to the "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance that includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, analysts say./Wall Street Journal