The strange, secretive world of North Korean science fiction

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2023

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why dream? — The strange, secretive world of North Korean science fiction Unusual and often breathtaking, the genre is relatively unknown in the West.

Andrada Fiscutean – Aug 25, 2023 11:00 am UTC Enlarge / Inside the Submarine by Kim Kwang Nam, from the series “The Future is Bright.”Koryo Studio reader comments 2 with

A plane is flying to the Philippines, gliding above “the infinite surface” of the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, a few passengers start to scream. Soon, the captain announces there’s a bomb on board, and its set to detonate if the aircraft drops below 10,000 feet.

“The inside of the plane turned into a battlefield,” the story reads. “The captain was visibly startled and vainly tried to calm down the screaming and utterly terrorized passengers.”

Only one person keeps his cool: a young North Korean diplomat who has faith that his country will find a solution and save everyone. And hes right. North Korea’s esteemed scientists and engineers create a mysterious anti-gravitational field and stop the plane in mid-air. The bomb is defused, and everyone gets off the aircraft and is brought back safely to Earth.

This story, Change Course (Hangno r?l pakkura) by Yi K?mch?l, speaks about solidarity, peace, and love for the motherland, displaying an intricate relationship between literature and politics. It was first published in 2004 in the Chos?n munhak magazine, only to be reprinted 13 years later, around the time North Korea claimed it was capable of launching attacks on US soil.

“Political messages in every North Korean sci-fi can be hardly missed,” historian of science Dong-Won Kim, who taught at Harvard University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, told me. Advertisement

The genre grew under the wings of the supreme leaders. Late dictator Kim Jong-il referenced science fiction books in his speeches and set guidelines for authors, encouraging them to write about optimistic futures for their country.

Stories often touch on topics like space travel, benevolent robots, disease-curing nanobots, and deep-sea exploration. They lack aliens and beings with superpowers. Instead, the real superheroes are the exceptional North Korean scientists and technologists who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

These stories are often rich in political tension, featuring “breathtaking confrontations between North Korea and the United States,” said Jang Hyuk, a young math graduate who defected from North Korea a few years ago. As in Change Course, North Koreans in sci-fi are typically portrayed as trying to save somebody, while the Americans are the villains who want “to monopolize and weaponize [technology] to dominate the world,” he added.

To a Western reader, such plots might seem ludicrous, perhaps designed to boost the confidence of a nation with little contact with the rest of the world. However, exploring them deeper might reveal a more nuanced layer of understanding.

“When I read Change Course, I find myself constantly thinking: If I were watching this same story as a Hollywood movie and the protagonists were Americans, my reaction would be very different,” said researcher Benot Berthelier, lecturer at the University of Sydney, who published several papers on Korean literature. “When you experience familiar plot structures and tropes but with the protagonists and antagonists reversed, there’s a distancing effect that makes you question why only certain configurations of good and bad roles feel uncontroversial.” Page: 1 2 3 4 Next → reader comments 2 with Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars

Environment

Uber chooses first market to deploy its Lucid Gravity robotaxis featuring Nuro Driver

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1 hour ago

October 29, 2025

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Uber chooses first market to deploy its Lucid Gravity robotaxis featuring Nuro Driver

Three months after Uber, Lucid Motors, and Nuro announced a partnership that would enable Gravity SUV robotaxis, the rideshare network has shared where the public will first be able to hail one. Spoiler alert, it’s easy to guess if you give it half a thought.

As we reported in July, Uber Technologies committed to a $300 million investment in Lucid Group (parent company of American EV automaker Lucid Motors), to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid vehicles as robotaxis over the next six years.

Those Lucid vehicles, which will consist of the automaker’s flagship Gravity SUV to begin, will hit public roads equipped with a Level 4 autonomous system called Nuro Driver. Nuro, the third partner in this equation, is a robotics company specializing in zero-occupant delivery vehicles, which garnered an existing partnership with Uber Eats as well as a “hefty” (yet undisclosed) investment from Uber Technologies.

Last month, Lucid delivered its first Gravity SUV to Nuro to begin the retrofitting process of the Nuro Driver system to support Uber’s hopes for a luxe robotaxi fleet. While the partners continue to work toward building an exciting new fleet of Lucid Gravity Robotaxis, Uber has shared the location where they will first go into service… Casper, Wyoming.

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Just kidding!

It’s the San Francisco Bay Area, of course.

Lucid-first-EV-Uber — Lucid Gravity SUV fitted with Nuro’s self-driving tech (Source: Lucid)

Uber to deploy Lucid Gravity EVs in Bay Area in 2026

Today’s update from Uber expands upon the ongoing partnership with Lucid Group and Nuro. According to the companies, the San Francisco Bay Area will be the first market where riders will see this next-generation autonomous robotaxi program in operation. That milestone is expected sometime in 2026.

Uber has shared that it has been updating policymakers and regulators at every level on the progress of its exclusive Lucid Robotaxis and continues to meet the operational requirements. Notably, Uber has shared that on-road development with the Lucid Gravity robotaxi engineering fleet is already underway in the Bay Area.

Furthermore, Nuro and Lucid intend to be operating over 100 Gravity robotaxis as part of the test fleet “in the coming months.” Lucid interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, spoke about today’s announcement:

Lucid has always celebrated its California roots, and we’re thrilled to make the San Francisco Bay Area the first market for our new robotaxi on the Uber platform, powered by the Nuro Driver. Beginning next year, riders will experience a level of convenience, safety, and comfort unlike anything else on the road. We can’t wait to bring this service to life and expand it to communities across the country.

To build this fleet of Uber-exclusive robotaxis, the required hardware will be integrated into Lucid Gravity SUVS while they are still on Lucid’s assembly line in Arizona. Those builds will then be integrated with Nuro’s proprietary software when Uber officially commissions them.

All eyes on 2026 as we now know that residents around the Bay Area will be able to hail a driverless Lucid Gravity through the Uber platform. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this fleet in action.

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Environment

Quiet confidence: Bobcat announces new EA line of industrial air compressors

Published

2 hours ago

October 29, 2025

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Quiet confidence: Bobcat announces new EA line of industrial air compressors

Bobcat Introduces EA Series Variable Speed Industrial Air Compressors

With its new EA line of variable speed industrial air compressors and superior energy efficiency from their advanced electric motors, industrial equipment Bobcat is setting a new standard for job site performance.

Designed for top-tier flow rates and maximum energy efficiency, Bobcat says its new EA lineup of variable speed compressors – the EA30VS, EA50VS, EA75VS, and EA100VS – is built to meet the demanding needs of modern industrial operations. But, crucially, the new EA line is about more than efficient motors, quiet running, and precise speed variation. It’s about tech.

To that end, the EA Series is equipped with a full range of “smart” operational features controlled through a 7″, full color LED controller display for intuitive operation. This system allows connection to, and intelligent optimization of, up to three additional compressors, ensuring the entire compressed air system operates at peak performance based on demand so perators can easily customize performance with programmable scheduling by date, time and pressure bands – delivering precision control with minimal effort.

And, of course, the whole system is backed by Bobcat’s global warranties, international parts and dealer networks, and commitment to durability and service.

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“The new EA Series represents a leap forward in industrial air compression technology for Bobcat,” said Cody Blythe, Bobcat product manager. “These machines offer exceptional flow rates paired with peak energy efficiency, providing our customers with a powerful solution that lowers their total cost of ownership through reduced electricity usage.”

Bobcat says its new EA line of variable speed compressors are available now at select Bobcat distributors, contact your local dealer for pricing.

Electrek’s Take

Bobcat is leading the charge to decarbonize job sites, delivering quiet, smooth-running machines for operators who value safety, performance, precision, and sustainability. The company is also among the few manufacturers replacing hydraulic systems with fully electric ones, further reducing oil use and eliminating idle warm‑up time.

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SOURCE | IMAGES: Bobcat.

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Technology

Ray Dalio, JPMorgan back billion-dollar berry startup Fruitist in new $150 million funding round

Published

2 hours ago

October 29, 2025

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Ray Dalio, JPMorgan back billion-dollar berry startup Fruitist in new 0 million funding round

Fruitist, the healthy snacking company known for its jumbo blueberries, has raised $150 million in an equity funding round led by new investor J.P. Morgan Asset Management, with billionaire Ray Dalio‘s family office doubling down on its existing investment in the farming startup. The company, valued at over $1 billion, is growing distribution rapidly in a snacking market estimated to be as large as $800 billion and in which consumers are spending more dollars on premium-priced, healthier options.

Fruitist has now raised a total of $443 million in equity capital from investors, and says the new capital will help it push deeper into retail locations around the world. In the U.S., its berries are already sold at Costco, Giant, Publix, ShopRite, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wakefern, Walmart, and Whole Foods, among other stores. It is also planning to expand distribution of its recently introduced single-serve, grab-and-go packs of fresh blueberries, Fruitist Snack Cups, citing explosive growth in the European market, and its new, even larger Legend Super Jumbo blueberries.

The company told CNBC earlier this year that annual sales surpassed $400 million, and says sales of its blueberries have tripled. It did not provide a new sales figure or new valuation with the latest investor round. Aliment Capital and Steve Kaplan, co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management, also participated in the new funding.

“We are investing in growth in volume, more production capacity,” said Fruitist CEO and co-founder Steve Magami, citing its agricultural operations in eight countries. “The dollars are going into growing volumes because demand is far greater than we can supply,” he said.

The majority of the new investor money will fund new planting and investments in cold storage and infrastructure, including automation, to increase control over quality and distribution.

“We believe that Fruitist, with control of its value chain, significant organic growth opportunity ahead, and positioning as a driving force of premiumization of berries and the better-for-you category, will realize durable expansion,” said Brad Demong, managing director, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, in a statement announcing the deal.

The recently introduced Fruitist Snack Cups have grown distribution from an initial 30 stores in Spain in April to 750 stores, and Magami said that is headed to 1,000 stores, and into the U.S. as well, where he said most retail partners will be adding the product in at least a small number of their locations.

Fruitist ranked No. 18 on the 2025 CNBC Disruptor 50 list.

“We see a snacking industry at $600 million to $800 million, and we see the healthy snacking industry as an eighth of that total, and we know our products rank to the far right of the upper right quadrant,” Magami said. He added that company doesn’t see traditional berry industry players, such as Driscoll’s, as the competition, describing them as “more of a commodity.”

“Over time, people will realize regular blueberries are more for the blender and cakes, and these are snacking berries to replace a meal,” he said.

Fruitist founder and CEO Steve Magami

Fruitist

Sally Lyons Wyatt, chief advisor consumer goods & foodservice insights at consulting firm Circana, said the healthy snacking sector, often called the “better for you” segment, is posting notable growth in a relatively flat snacking market. “What is keeping the core snacking category going is the ‘better for you’ products,” she said.

“Berries are full of antioxidants and one of healthiest fruits in this snacking story,” Lyons Wyatt said.

While he declined to comment on any initial public offering timeline, Magami said the firm is closely monitoring the planned IPO of Jennifer Garner’s Once Upon a Farm, which recently filed to go public.

Matthew Kennedy of IPO research firm Renaissance Capital says for investors eyeing companies like Fruitist and Once Upon a Farm, growth is as much, if not more of a driving factor, than the healthy snacking theme. Kennedy said the food space has had “a lot of losers” this year, but added, “it’s especially impressive if a company is able to sell a premium product and take market share while the rest of the industry is under pressure.”

“Companies often go public when growth trends look most optimistic, so the biggest risk for investors is when that growth is unsustainable, either because it was a fad, or because there’s a really devoted initial customer base that doesn’t translate to the broader market,” he said.

Circana has monitored the consumer gravitating to berries for years, “and every year, it’s one of those products that just continues to outpace most traditional packaged snacks,” Lyons Wyatt said. “It will continue to gain strength and we see it being a big hit around the world because it delivers on all the aspects of what consumers are looking for,” she said, but she added that the biggest limitation to broader consumer adoption is price.

“These are priced around $6 a clamshell,” said Magami. “We are not selling champagne strawberries for $19. We are focused on building a durable business and growing the brand and have substantial runway ahead,” he said. “We will realize well above average growth, which is rare in this sector.”

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