South Korea will rapidly expand its drone and counter-drone capabilities to counter North Korea, including by training 500,000 “drone warriors” and distributing tens of thousands of unmanned systems across frontline units, the Defence Ministry has said.
The military also plans to produce 110,000 drones by 2029 for deployment across the army, navy, air force and marines, aiming to make drones a standard item for individual soldiers.
“Drones should no longer be equipment used by a limited number of units, but a universal combat tool,” Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said in a briefing on Friday, adding they should be used by troops like a “second personal weapon.”
Ahn said Seoul would rely on 100 percent domestically produced components rather than Chinese parts in building the systems, in response to security concerns.
The announcement comes as both Koreas accelerate efforts to build drone capabilities, shaped by lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where unmanned systems have emerged as game changers on the battlefield.
“Low-cost drones operated in large numbers are fundamentally changing the nature of warfare,” Ahn said, warning North Korea was also advancing unmanned systems, increasing threats to military and civilian facilities in the South.
South Korea’s plan includes expanding counter-drone systems such as laser and high-power microwave weapons, and shifting operations so each service can conduct surveillance and strike missions using drones rather than relying on a centralised command.
