North Korea's Kim inspects drone test, pushes for greater use of AI

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”.

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“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”.

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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.