SEOUL, Oct 30 — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for his country to seize "absolute superiority" in drone technology as he attended an exhibition and demonstration of unmanned aeronautical technology, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported today.
The firepower demonstration featured tactical suicide attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, multipurpose drones, and 600mm multiple rocket launchers.
The display highlighted the push to modernise North Korea's Armed Forces by using drones and artificial intelligence as Pyongyang draws lessons from Russia's war against Ukraine and other global conflicts.
It came amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas, with Seoul vowing to respond firmly to what it called North Korean breaches, and Pyongyang denouncing joint South Korea-United States (US) air defence drills.
KCNA photographs showed unmanned aerial vehicles bearing the North Korean Air Force's emblem at the exhibition, attended by Kim.
Other images showed what appeared to be an unmanned aerial vehicle crashing into a military vehicle and exploding in a ball of flame during a weapons demonstration.
Yesterday, South Korea's military said that North Korea had fired around 10 projectiles, including short-range ballistic missiles.
KCNA reported that Kim said pursuing superiority in drone technology is "an indispensable option" given the changing nature of modern warfare.
He added that using high-level artificial intelligence (AI) in unmanned weapons systems should be a top priority for Pyongyang.
Kim has repeatedly called for the development of drones and military AI. State media said Kim ordered mass production of suicide attack drones in November 2024, oversaw tests of AI-equipped versions in March 2025, and in September that year called AI a top priority in weapons modernisation.
Drawing lessons from Ukraine war
South Korean intelligence has revealed that since October 2024, North Korea has sent more than 16,000 personnel to Russia to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine, and gained battlefield experience in drone, electronic, and combined-arms warfare.
Kyungnam University professor Lim Eul-chul said that Pyongyang is transforming its military with drones and AI, drawing lessons from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
By showing a comprehensive display of weapons, North Korea is trying to "shut off the possibility of dialogue or negotiations" with South Korea.
North Korean state media also displayed for the first time what analysts described as a tailless, flying-wing stealth drone.
Photographs showed racks of small suicide drones and loitering munitions similar to the US Switchblade 600, which analysts said suggests an emphasis on cheap, mass-produced weapons, potentially drawing on lessons from the Ukraine war.
They noted that mock targets resembling South Korean K9 howitzers, M1 Abrams-type tanks, and radar vehicles suggested the weapons were intended for use against South Korean and US forces.
Border tensions
Earlier today, Seoul's national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said that South Korea will respond firmly to protect the military border despite Pyongyang's assertion that it is conducting operations within its territory.
Separately, KCNA reported that North Korea's Defence Ministry said US and South Korean air defence drills were raising tensions on the peninsula and that there was "no limit" to its option for maintaining a strong deterrent posture.
Tensions have escalated since a landmine blast inside the Demilitarised Zone seriously wounded several South Korean soldiers last month. Seoul said the blast was caused by a North Korean mine, which Pyongyang has denied.
Earlier this month, Kim's powerful sister Kim Yo Jong said that North Korea will activate anti-South Korean propaganda loudspeakers along its entire border by the end of October.
