North Korea AI weapons: KCNA says Kim Jong Un oversaw tests of AI-guided tactical cruise missiles and artillery rockets, including a lightweight multi-purpose missile launcher, with claims of improved navigation and hit accuracy. Sanctions-and-data sleuthing: A new research approach argues you can read sanctions impact by tracking shifts in prices and trade signals, and by mining North Korea’s own propaganda plus satellite imagery to map industrial activity. Inter-Korean tech diplomacy: A South Korean institute is pushing to restart research on North Korea’s rare earth reserves, but cooperation looks unlikely given Pyongyang’s stance. Cyber threat update: InvisibleFerret malware linked to North Korea-linked hackers now ships as compiled .pyd/.so modules (not just readable Python), aiming to evade older detection while targeting developers and crypto firms via fake job lures and poisoned code. Defense tech context: Russia’s drone output surge is tied to Chinese component supply, while Russia’s Shoigu reportedly met North Korea’s secret police chief to stress intelligence cooperation. Tech culture spillover: Activision confirmed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, set around a North Korean invasion, launching Oct 23 on PS5/PC/Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2.