Kim Jong Un calls AI-powered drone development top military priority

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By Soo-Hyang Choi

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw tests of new combat and reconnaissance drones this week, calling unmanned aerial vehicle development a top-priority for modernising the country’s armed forces.

 

On Thursday, Kim inspected weapons, surveillance vehicles and multipurpose drones at North Korea’s Unmanned Aeronautical Technology Complex, the official Korean Central News Agency said. He emphasised that developing artificial intelligence and improving the operational ability of unmanned weapons have become a top priority for strengthening North Korea’s armed forces, citing recent warfare that use unmanned equipment as a key military asset.  

 

While the technical quality of North Korea’s UAVs remains unclear, Kim has conducted multiple field inspections of drone development, underscoring his efforts to make them a key pillar of the country’s military strategy. 

 

North Korea has stepped up efforts to modernise its military, from drones and loitering munitions to missile advances, as Kim defies international sanctions to bolster the country’s defense capabilities. His recent trip to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, underscored both his growing global profile and Pyongyang’s bid for deeper strategic partnerships.

 

North Korea has supplied tens of thousands of soldiers, artillery shells, and missiles to Russia for its war against Ukraine, according to US and South Korean officials, raising concerns over Pyongyang’s military gaining exposure to real-world combat experience. 

 

KCNA said Kim called for focusing on “rapidly developing newly introduced artificial intelligence technology” while “expanding and strengthening the serial production capacity of drones.” 

 

South Korea received a wake-up call about threats from drones when Pyongyang sent five UAVs across the border in 2022, including one that flew near then President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office in Seoul. South Korea’s military failed to shoot down the devices. One complicating factor was a reluctance to fire munitions in heavily populated areas.

 

In November, Kim called for the mass production of attack drones after Pyongyang accused Seoul of flying unmanned aerial vehicles in the airspace over its capital. Seoul has not confirmed whether it sent any drones across the border.