North Korean networks of information technology (IT) workers have emerged as one of the regime’s most lucrative revenue streams in recent years, generating sums estimated in the hundreds of millions through remote work for foreign companies.

Now, however, the global adoption of AI for programming threatens to replace that workforce and decimate a huge source of funding for the DPRK’s weapons programs, as so-called vibe coding undermines the gig economy that its workers have so effectively exploited.

These changes will force North Korea to adapt its tactics once again, and while how this