South Korea’s defence ministry announced on Friday that it will train half a million military personnel as drone operators and acquire tens of thousands of unmanned systems, marking a doctrinal shift that treats drones as standard-issue equipment for every soldier. Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told a briefing that low-cost drones operated in large numbers are “fundamentally changing the nature of warfare,” and that all troops across the army, navy, air force and marines should be able to use them “like a second personal firearm.” The plan envisages procuring 11,000 commercial drones for training by the end of this year, scaling to 60,000 by 2029, alongside more than 20,000 low-cost disposable combat drones by 2030. A domestically developed long-range loitering munition, the K-Lucas—based on a US system reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed-136—will be fast-tracked for deployment before the end of the decade.

Viewed from Seoul, the overhaul is a direct response to North Korea’s expanding drone capabilities and to the failure to intercept five small North Korean drones that breached southern airspace, including a no-fly zone over the presidential office, in 2022. According to South Korean defence officials, Pyongyang is advancing its own unmanned systems, a development that analysts in Washington and London link to the North’s deepening military cooperation with Russia, which has given it access to battlefield data and tactics from the war in Ukraine. North Korean state media reported on Friday that leader Kim Jong-un had overseen tests of tactical ballistic missiles and an upgraded rocket artillery system, while previously pledging to expand drone production and integrate artificial intelligence into unmanned platforms.

The ministry said it would rely entirely on domestically produced components, explicitly excluding Chinese parts over security concerns, and would revamp procurement rules to speed the adoption of civilian technology. The plan also includes expanding counter-drone systems such as laser and high-power microwave weapons, and decentralising drone operations so that individual units conduct surveillance and strike missions rather than relying on a centralised command. This restructuring follows the dismantling of the previous drone operations command after a Seoul court this month sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for ordering a drone incursion into North Korea in late 2024, which prosecutors said was aimed at justifying his martial law bid.

Military planners in Seoul also cite demographic decline as a factor pushing the armed forces toward greater automation and unmanned systems to sustain combat capabilities. The announcement comes as South Korea’s defence industry enjoys a surge in exports, notably to Poland, and as the government seeks to build a domestic drone ecosystem by positioning the military as a major buyer. The new drone organisation, focused on policy and capability development, is expected to be established in the coming months, while production targets for 110,000 drones by 2029 are set to be distributed across all service branches.