SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korean drones unveiled this week likely incorporate artificial intelligence technology to identify and autonomously strike South Korean and U.S. military equipment, a South Korean lawmaker said Friday.
Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the ruling People Power Party made the analysis after the North's state media reported Thursday the country's leader Kim Jong-un oversaw tests of "suicide attack" drones equipped with new AI technology earlier this week.
State media photos showed the drones striking targets similar in appearance to South Korean and U.S. military equipment, including the South's mobile Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile system and the U.S. Stryker armored fighting vehicle stationed in South Korea.
This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2025, shows a North Korean suicide drone striking a target similar in appearance to South Korea's mobile Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile system in a test overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2025, shows a North Korean suicide drone striking a target similar in appearance to South Korea's mobile Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile system in a test overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Yu said the suicide drone is likely capable of carrying out autonomous strikes by identifying South Korean and U.S. military equipment using trained data.
The drone's attack capabilities have also likely been improved, given that the North conducted a similar test last November of drones attacking a passenger car, not military vehicles.
This week's test also featured a quadcopter dropping a bomb onto a target for the first time, highlighting the North's efforts to develop a wide range of attack drones.
"North Korea is copying military technology from various countries, including China and Russia, and improving its weapons systems for modern warfare based on its experience from the Ukraine war apparently to completely transform itself," Yu said.
North Korean troops are believed to be gaining real combat experience from the war, having deployed thousands of troops in support of Russia.
This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2025, shows a North Korean quadcopter dropping a bomb onto a target in a test overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2025, shows a North Korean quadcopter dropping a bomb onto a target in a test overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2025, shows a North Korean suicide drone flying toward a target similar in appearance to the U.S. military's Stryker combat vehicle in a test overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2025, shows a North Korean suicide drone flying toward a target similar in appearance to the U.S. military's Stryker combat vehicle in a test overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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