Kim Jong Un oversees weapons tests as South Korea ramps up drone force

Seoul,UPDATED: Jun 26, 2026 09:38 IST

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw major weapons tests and called for the military’s “deadly and destructive offensive posture” to be strengthened, state media reported on Friday, as South Korea said it would sharply expand its drone warfare capabilities. The moves come at a time of high tension on the Korean Peninsula, with Kim pushing to build both nuclear and conventional military strength while refusing to return to talks with South Korea and the United States.

The tests observed by Kim on Thursday were aimed at assessing the power of a “special mission” warhead for a tactical ballistic missile, an upgraded multiple rocket launch system, and the strike accuracy of extended-range shells fired from a self-propelled gun-howitzer, according to the official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA.

KCNA said Kim described the test results as proof of technological progress in efforts to change the fire posture in southern border areas, indicating that the weapons systems were meant for targets in South Korea, including US military bases there. Kim said North Korea’s self-defence policy includes an objective to strengthen “the deadly and destructive offensive posture to make no enemy dare to confront”, KCNA reported.

“To make the enemies feel constant uneasiness and fear is just an important aspect of the exercise of war deterrent,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying. The agency added that the special mission warhead was intended to cause “fatal damage on major targets including airfields, ports and power facilities of the enemy”.

Later on Friday, South Korea’s Defence Ministry announced plans to expand its drone forces, citing growing military threats from North Korea, which it said had also received technology assistance from Russia. The plans include developing long-range exploding drones, buying more than 20,000 low-cost reconnaissance and attack drones, and training the country’s entire 500,000 troops as “drone warriors”.

“North Korea is also currently receiving technology transfers from Russia, so there’s an urgent need for us to respond proactively to the changing nature of warfare and the evolving operational environment,” Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told reporters. He said the plans reflected the growing importance of low-cost loitering munitions in modern warfare, including in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where thousands of North Korean troops have also fought alongside Russian forces. Ahn said South Korea’s military plans to have 500,000 “drone warriors” across the army, navy, air force and marines who can operate drones “easily like personal firearms”.

North Korea has been focused on expanding its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Kim later stressed the need to develop advanced conventional weapons as well. On Tuesday, North Korea commissioned the 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which Kim presented as a symbol of the country’s rising naval and nuclear capabilities.

In response to Trump’s repeated outreach to restart diplomacy, Kim has indicated that talks could resume if the US drops its demand for North Korea’s denuclearisation as a condition for diplomacy. He has also adopted a tougher line on South Korea, calling it his country’s “principal enemy” and building more military structures along the heavily fortified border. In recent years, Kim has widened ties with Russia through his support for its war in Ukraine, while Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month visited North Korea for the first time in seven years for a meeting with him.

The latest tests by North Korea and South Korea’s response with a major drone expansion underline the continuing military build-up on both sides amid stalled diplomacy and persistent tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

With PTI Inputs

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