Kim Urges North Korea to Expand Drone Technology
Kim toured a display featuring strike and other unmanned aircraft on October 29 and called for North Korea to strengthen its unmanned aircraft technology. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said the event appeared to be the North’s first exhibition devoted solely to drones. South Korean media said it featured more than 30 types, including stealth and first-person-view attack drones.
North Korea said it later tested drones, missiles and weapons fired from 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers. Images released by the country showed Kim watching the tests alongside his teenage daughter. South Korea’s military had said the previous day that the North fired roughly 10 short-range ballistic missiles in the direction of the ocean.
The tests come amid worsening tensions following land mine blasts last month that injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul accused Pyongyang of laying the explosives below the military boundary and called for an apology; North Korea denied responsibility and warned of retaliation if provoked. The North also threatened last week to restart border loudspeaker broadcasts and deploy new weapons systems.
North Korea’s Defense Ministry criticized a joint U.S.-South Korean air exercise on Friday, calling it provocative. South Korea said the two-week Freedom Flag drill, scheduled to run through November 6, would involve aircraft including fighter jets, helicopters and drones. Kim has recently increased weapons testing as U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in resuming talks, which collapsed in 2019.
North Korea’s Drone Push Raises Stakes in a Tense Peninsula
Kim’s call to expand drone technology and the weapons tests that followed underscore the risks of an intensifying military standoff on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea said it tested drones, missiles and 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers after Kim visited a drone exhibition on October 29.
The exhibition appeared to be North Korea’s first devoted exclusively to drones, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said. South Korean media said it displayed more than 30 types, including stealth and first-person-view attack drones. South Korea’s military had also said the North fired roughly 10 short-range ballistic missiles in the direction of the ocean the day before.
The escalation comes after land mine blasts injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul blamed Pyongyang and demanded an apology; North Korea denied responsibility and warned of retaliation. The North also condemned a U.S.-South Korean air exercise, while Seoul said the drill was intended to improve joint operational capabilities and would use fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
With Donald Trump expressing interest in renewed talks, North Korea’s stepped-up tests may be aimed at increasing its leverage. But a cycle of weapons demonstrations and military exercises leaves less room for diplomacy and raises the danger of miscalculation.
North Korea Expands Drone Push as It Condemns Allied Air Drills
North Korea is pressing ahead with drone and weapons development while criticizing a U.S.-South Korean air exercise as provocative. Kim Jong Un visited a drone exhibition on October 29, urged a rapid expansion of the technology and watched tests of drones, missiles and multiple rocket launchers.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said the exhibition appeared to be the North’s first focused exclusively on drones. South Korean media said it showed more than 30 types, including stealth and first-person-view attack drones. The previous day, South Korea’s military said the North had fired roughly 10 short-range ballistic missiles in the direction of the ocean.
Pyongyang’s Defense Ministry said the ongoing allied air drill increases the danger of armed conflict. Seoul said the two-week exercise, which runs through November 6, is designed to improve combined operational capabilities and involves fighter jets, helicopters and drones. North Korea has also threatened to resume loudspeaker broadcasts and deploy weapons along the border.
The friction is unfolding after blasts from land mines wounded three members of South Korea’s military. Seoul charged Pyongyang with placing the devices below the military boundary; Pyongyang denied responsibility and warned of retaliation if provoked. As Trump signals interest in restoring talks that broke down in 2019, North Korea’s tests and the allied drill highlight the competing security concerns shaping any return to diplomacy.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Post, CNN.
