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Kim visited the Drone Institute of North Korea's Academy of
Defense Sciences on Saturday and viewed a successful test of
drones correctly identifying and destroying designated targets
after flying along different preset routes, state news agency
KCNA said.
Kim called for the production of more suicide drones to be used
in tactical infantry and special operation units, such as
underwater suicide attack drones, as well as strategic
reconnaissance and multi-purpose attack drones, KCNA said.
Also known as loitering munitions, such weapons been widely used
in the war in Ukraine as well as in the Middle East.
Loitering munitions can typically be aloft and ready to strike
before a specific target is located, then attack by crashing
into the target with a built-in warhead.
Photos released by state media showed at least four different
types of drones, some of which were launched with the aid of
small rocket engines before their propellers took over.
When asked about visual similarities between some of the North
Korean drones and Russia's ZALA Lancet and the Iranian-designed
Shahed, which is also used by Russia, South Korea's Joint Chiefs
of Staff said more analysis is necessary.
"We understand that some gifts (drones) were given in an
exchange between North Korea and Russia in the past... We need
to analyze various measures to see if those have improved
performance," a spokesperson for the JCS said in a briefing.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has close ties to Russia and Iran and
a history of military cooperation with both.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said it was the first time
Pyongyang had unveiled suicide drones.
Several North Korean drones crossed the border into the South in
2022 and even briefly entered a no-fly zone surrounding Seoul's
presidential office, before turning back.
South Korea has said it will deploy laser weapons to shoot down
North Korean drones this year, becoming the world's first
country to deploy and operate such weapons in the military, and
some skyscrapers in Seoul host anti-aircraft guns on their
roofs.
South Korea and the U.S. kicked off annual summertime military
exercises last week, including practicing responses to North
Korean drones.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Hyunsu Yim and
Josh Smith; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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