North Korea's Kim Jong Un Prioritizes AI-Powered Drones for Military Modernization

Kim Jong Un Says Advancing AI for Drones Top Military Priority

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 modernizing 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 emphasized 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.

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

Seoul (AFP) - 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 Friday. 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", reporting Kim expressed "great satisfaction" with the result. Drones are emerging as a "major military activity asset, raising it as a top-priority and important task in modernizing the armed forces of the DPRK," Kim reportedly said, using the acronym for North Korea. He also ordered "efforts to rapidly developing 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 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 last year 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. And 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 GPS jamming attacks on the South Korean 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," 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.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un Oversees Drone Testing, KCNA Says

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the testing of unnamed drones on Thursday and ordered their capabilities be strengthened through artificial intelligence, state media KCNA said on Friday. Kim supervised the test of suicide drones with AI technology in March. On Thursday, Kim was satisfied with the test results of North Korea's 'Kumsong' tactical unmanned attack aircraft and an unmanned strategic reconnaissance aircraft, and approved a plan to further strengthen unmanned aerial vehicles' capabilities, KCNA said. Kim also inspected on Thursday the construction of a large greenhouse farm in Sinuiju, which borders China, KCNA said. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Richard Chang)

North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversees drone test, orders AI development

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 Friday. 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", reporting Kim expressed "great satisfaction" with the result. Drones are emerging as a "major military activity asset, raising it as a top-priority and important task in modernizing the armed forces of the DPRK," Kim reportedly said, using the acronym for North Korea. He also ordered "efforts to rapidly developing 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 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 last year 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. And 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 GPS jamming attacks on the South Korean 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," 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.

N. Korea's Kim oversees performance test of tactical attack drones - The Korea Times

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a performance test of tactical attack drones, stressing the need to apply artificial intelligence (AI) technology to them and advance their operational capabilities, state media reported Friday. Kim inspected the test of unmanned weapons developed and produced by an institute and enterprise under the Unmanned Aeronautical Technology Complex on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The leader reviewed the performance and combat applicability of strategic and tactical reconnaissance drones, as well as multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicles. The test approved the effectiveness of Kumsong-series tactical attack drones for combat uses, along with strategic reconnaissance drones' capabilities, the KCNA said. North Korean state media reported on Kumsong-line tactical attack drones for the first time. "Advancing AI and operational capabilities of unmanned weapons and equipment systems should be the top priority in modernizing the armed forces," he said, stressing that drones have emerged as key military assets in modern warfare, according to the KCNA. In March, the North supervised performance tests of "suicide attack drones" equipped with AI technology, calling for their development and technological advance. North Korea has been focusing on developing drones, especially since it sent troops to Russia to support Moscow's war with Ukraine, where drones are playing a major role in combat.