The North Korean government declared a pursuit of the Military-First Policy and the Ideology of Focusing on Science and Technology in the late 1990s. It thus made science and technology central to its goal of the Establishment of Strong and Prosperous State. North Korea came to perceive science and technology as engines for promoting both nuclear armament and economic development. The switch of policy attention to science and technology has facilitated the development of some selected technology-intensive industries. In 2017, North Korea declared that it had completed development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Although North Korea’s development of hi-tech arms including nuclear bombs and ICBMs appears inconsistent with its low level of economic development, it can be understood in light of the North Korean government’s emphasis on science and technology and prioritization of the allocation of resources to defense.

北朝鲜政府宣布在1990年代后期奉行“以军为先”政策和“以科学技术为中心”的思想。因此，它使科学技术成为其建立强大繁荣国家目标的中心。朝鲜开始将科学和技术视为促进核军备和经济发展的引擎。政策对科学技术的关注促进了某些选定的技术密集型产业的发展。2017年，朝鲜宣布已完成核武器和洲际弹道导弹（ICBM）的开发。尽管北朝鲜发展了包括核弹和洲际弹道导弹在内的高科技武器鉴于其经济发展水平较低，这可以从朝鲜政府对科学技术的重视以及对国防资源分配的优先考虑中来理解。