Seoul, South Korea – In a strategic move aimed at changing the rules of engagement on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense announced an ambitious plan on Friday to expand its drone capabilities. The plan also focuses on long-range suicide attack systems. This comes as a direct response to escalating threats from its northern neighbor.
An army of marches for every soldier
The ministry unveiled a plan to train and equip half a million long-range “suicide drones” for combat operations.
North Korea’s ambitions don’t stop there; the South Korean military aims to produce 110,000 drones by 2029. These will then be systematically deployed across the army, navy, air force, and marine corps.
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Kyo-baek emphasized at a press conference that the goal is a fundamental shift in military doctrine. He stated, “Drones should no longer be equipment used by limited units; they should become a general combat tool and a standard item in the hands of every soldier.”
Technological independence and national security
In the context of strengthening cybersecurity and military capabilities, Minister Ahn emphasized that Seoul will adopt a rigorous manufacturing strategy. He explained that all components of these systems will be “100% domestically produced.”
He affirmed that this decision aims to avoid reliance on Chinese components. This step also addresses security concerns related to espionage or system disruptions in emergency situations.
Drawing lessons from the “drone war”
These South Korean moves come as lessons are learned from the Russian-Ukrainian war, which demonstrated that low-cost unmanned systems can shift the balance of power on the battlefield.
The minister noted that North Korea is also racing to develop similar drone systems. This increases the risks to military and civilian installations in the South.
Regarding the technology used, the Ministry of Defense explained that its suicide drones would be the South Korean version of the American Lukas system. This system is a low-cost combat drone, based primarily on reverse-engineered versions of the Iranian Shahed-136 drone.
With these moves, Seoul is redrawing the map of military deterrence. It asserts that the era of “drone warfare” has become an unavoidable reality in defending the country’s sovereignty and securing its borders.
