North Korea’s Kim oversees drone test, orders AI development

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test of an attack drone and ordered greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the technology, state media said on Sept 19.

Images shared by the official Korean Central News Agency showed the unmanned vehicle taking off and then destroying a target.

State media said the exercise demonstrated the “excellent combat effectiveness of Kumsong-series tactical attack drones” and that Mr Kim expressed “great satisfaction” with the result.

Drones are emerging as a “major military activity asset, raising it as a top priority... in modernising the armed forces of the DPRK,” Mr Kim reportedly said, using the acronym for North Korea.

He also ordered “efforts to rapidly develop the newly introduced artificial intelligence technology” as well as the “expanding and strengthening” of drone production capabilities.

Analyst Hong Min at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification said Mr Kim sees drone technology as critical to securing “great power status”.

“The drones raise concerns because they offer low-cost, high-efficiency threats: autonomous mission execution, improved accuracy and lethality, suitability for mass production, and enhanced tactical flexibility,” he added.

Lessons from Russia

Pyongyang unveiled its first attack drones

in 2024,

and experts have warned its new capability in this area could be linked to its budding alliance with Russia.

Analysts also say

North Korean troops sent to fight for Russia

will be gaining modern warfare experience – including how drones are used on the battlefield.

Dr Lim Eul-chul at South Korea’s Kyungnam University said AI could allow North Korean drones to “operate even if GPS or communications signals are jammed, relying on pre-trained algorithms”.

North Korea has tested Global Positioning System jamming attacks on South Korean’s assets – an operation that affected several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft.

“The AI drive has gained momentum since 2024, drawing on Russian technology transfers and lessons from the war in Ukraine,” Dr Lim said.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have said the North sent over 10,000 soldiers to Russia in 2024 – primarily to the Kursk region – along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.

Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said. AFP