▲ This image, captured from the Telegram account of the Russian Embassy in North Korea, shows what appears to be a female humanoid robot at a polling station set up at a university in Pyongyang on March 15, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

N Korea-robot

N. Korea shows off 'human-like' robots at polling station, schools

SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has showed off "human-like" robots at a polling station and schools, in apparent efforts by Pyongyang to catch up with fast-growing global robotics technology.

Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korea newspaper based in Japan, published a photo of a robot with a humanoid appearance at a university in Pyongyang in its Tuesday issue. The photo showed a robot wearing a white and navy hanbok dress.

The newspaper said the robots are being actively used by teachers and students, describing them as working in cooperation with teachers to provide educational assistance to students.

How the robots move or operate could not be confirmed in the absence of video footage, and the newspaper did not provide details on whether they can move or are immobile.

A similar female humanoid was also introduced to foreign diplomats posted in North Korea, with the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang uploading an image of the robot deployed at a polling station during parliamentary elections held last Sunday.

"A robot in the form of a young lady wearing traditional (Korean) dress welcomed voters," the embassy said on its Telegram account Monday, saying the robot provided information on how to vote.

As robotics technology, including humanoid robots, advances around the world alongside artificial intelligence, North Korea appears to be striving to develop its domestic robotics sector despite its scarce resources and limited access to global technology.

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