North Korea AI hardware: A new assessment says Pyongyang’s researchers keep running AI experiments using older GPUs like Nvidia Tesla P100 and GeForce RTX 2070, likely sourced via third countries, suggesting ongoing work in surveillance, speech processing, and video tracking. Industrial push: KCNA reports “miracles” of output in the 100 days after the February party congress, citing gains in coal, cement, and power tied to “science and technology” and new equipment. Education tech gap: Pyongyang’s vocational teaching showcase used computer simulations to spread a new hands-on method, but observers say it also exposed big facility differences between the capital and provinces. Cybercrime targeting: ScarCruft (APT37) is using Microsoft-themed spear-phishing to deliver NarwhalRAT via ZIP/LNK chains and scheduled persistence. Crypto theft pressure: Reports link North Korean-linked activity to major blockchain thefts and note that DeFi exploit waves have strained liquidity, with Binance Research flagging April’s $13B TVL outflows. China-North Korea optics: North Korea’s state media says Kim Jong-un sent Xi Jinping a birthday message and flowers after a three-year gap, signaling renewed diplomatic warmth. Regional tech diplomacy: Japan and Italy agreed to deepen semiconductor and critical-minerals cooperation, with North Korea mentioned in broader security coordination.