North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered “mass production” of attack drones, state media reported Friday, as concerns grow over the country’s deepening military cooperation with Russia.
Pyongyang first unveiled its attack drones in August, a capability experts say can be attributed to the country’s emerging alliance with Russia.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hit back at the North after the nuclear-armed country ratified a landmark defense pact with Moscow and is accused of deploying thousands of troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine. Warned about possible transfer of sensitive Russian military technology. Korea.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim on Thursday inspected tests of drones designed to attack both land and sea targets produced by North Korea’s unmanned aerial technology complex.
“He stressed the need to build a serial production system as soon as possible and carry out full-scale mass production,” KCNA said.
Unmanned drones are designed to carry explosives and deliberately drop them on enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles.
Thursday’s test saw the drone “accurately” hit the target after flying on predetermined paths, KCNA reported.
“The suicide attack drones, used in various striking ranges, are meant to carry out the mission of precision strike on any enemy target on land and sea,” the agency said.
According to KCNA, Kim said the drones were “easy to use… a component of strike force” due to their relatively low production costs and wide range of applications.
He said the North has “recently given importance” to developing unmanned hardware systems and integrating them with the country’s overall military strategy.
Russian technology?
Experts said the drones – in images released by state media in August – looked similar to the Israeli-made “Harop” drone, the Russian-made “Lancet-3” and the Israeli “Hero 30”.
North Korea may have acquired these technologies from Russia, which may have obtained them from Iran – Tehran itself is suspected of having access to them through hacking or theft from Israel.
In 2022, Pyongyang sent drones across the border that Seoul’s military was unable to shoot down, saying they were too small.
This year, North Korea has been bombing the South with garbage-carrying balloons in what it says is retaliation for activists in the South sending anti-regime propaganda messages to the North.
The North has also accused Seoul of violating its sovereignty by flying drones over its capital Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets.
By mentioning “the production and practical deployment of various drones”, North Korea could signal it could do the same, Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
“Pyongyang may suggest the possibility of using balloons to spread leaflets in the South along with such drones,” Yang said.
“Given the effectiveness of drone strikes seen during the war in Ukraine, they could also be used effectively in the ongoing conflict there,” he said.
South Korea launched a Drone Operation Command last year to better deal with the growing threat.
In October, the North amended its constitution to define South Korea as a “hostile” state, a sign of a sharp deterioration in relations since Kim declared Seoul his country’s “major enemy” in January. Example.
The North has continued to conduct ballistic missile tests in defiance of UN sanctions and last month blew up its roads and railways linking it to the south.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
