South Korea is poised to significantly enhance its drone and counter-drone capabilities in a direct response to threats from North Korea, the Defence Ministry announced on Friday.
The comprehensive strategy involves training 500,000 “drone warriors” and distributing tens of thousands of unmanned systems throughout its frontline military units.
Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back initially outlined plans to produce 110,000 drones by 2029 for deployment across the army, navy, air force, and marines.
However, the ministry later adjusted this target to approximately 60,000, with around 11,000 units expected to be introduced in 2026.
The initiative aims to integrate drones as standard equipment for individual soldiers across all services.
“Drones should no longer be equipment used by a limited number of units, but a universal combat tool,” Ahn told a briefing, adding they should be used by troops like a “second personal weapon.”
Ahn said Seoul would rely on 100% domestically produced components rather than Chinese parts in building the systems, in response to security concerns.
The announcement comes as both Koreas accelerate efforts to build drone capabilities, shaped by lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where unmanned systems have emerged as game changers on the battlefield.
“Low-cost drones operated in large numbers are fundamentally changing the nature of warfare,” Ahn said, warning North Korea was also advancing unmanned systems, increasing threats to military and civilian facilities in the South.
South Korea’s plan includes expanding counter-drone systems such as lasers and high-power microwave weapons, and shifting operations so each service can conduct surveillance and strike missions using drones rather than relying on a centralised command.
A senior defence official said the military would also move quickly to acquire more than 20,000 low-cost, expendable drones and introduce AI-based swarm systems and loitering munitions.
The ministry said it would revamp procurement rules to speed up adoption of civilian technology and position the military as a major buyer to help build a domestic drone ecosystem.
The expansion comes amid political sensitivity over drone operations under the previous administration. A South Korean court this month 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.
Current President Lee Jae Myung’s government dismantled the drone operations command in the fallout from those allegations, with the plans on Friday aiming to replace it with a new organisation focused on policy, capability development and support while leaving operations to individual military units.
South Korea also faces pressures from demographic decline, pushing the military to rely more on automation and unmanned systems to sustain combat capabilities.
