North Korean women suffer pervasive violations of their human rights, but they are also leading market actors in an economy struggling to transform. Though they face extremely low public health standards and egregious patterns of harassment, these women may be the country’s most promising partners for international humanitarian and development cooperation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented barriers to exchange as the Kim Jong Un regime has implemented draconian border controls against the virus. Under these challenging conditions, researchers are developing more technologically driven methodologies for studying the isolated country. Applying artificial intelligence tools to issues of women’s rights in North Korea offers new potential, both for documenting atrocities and identifying opportunities for post-pandemic engagement.