South Korea to Train 500,000 “Drone Warriors”

South Korea will rapidly expand its drone and counter-drone capabilities against North Korea, including by training 500,000 “drone warriors” and distributing tens of thousands of unmanned systems to frontline units, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

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 standard equipment for individual soldiers.

“Drones should no longer be equipment used by a limited number of units, but a universal combat tool”, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said, adding that troops should use them like a “second personal weapon”.

Ahn said Seoul would rely entirely on domestically produced components rather than Chinese parts because of security concerns.

The announcement comes as both Koreas accelerate efforts to build drone capabilities, drawing on lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. South Korea also faces demographic decline, pushing its military to rely more on automation and unmanned systems.

South Korea’s plan includes the purchase of more than 20,000 low-cost expendable drones, the introduction of artificial intelligence-based swarm systems and loitering munitions, and the deployment of counter-drone systems such as laser and high-power microwave weapons.

The move comes at a sensitive political moment. This month, a South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison over a military drone incursion into North Korea that prosecutors said was aimed at justifying his 2024 martial law bid.

President Lee Jae Myung’s government has dismantled the previous drone operations command. It will be replaced by a new organization focused on policy, capability development and support, while surveillance and strike missions will be left to individual military units.

(Reuters, Max)