Overview
- Defense Minister Ahn announced on Friday that the ministry will fast-track the domestically developed K‑Lucas long‑range loitering munition and procure more than 20,000 low‑cost expendable drones by 2030.
- The military set a target to train 500,000 'drone warriors' and begin issuing training drones this year with plans for roughly 11,000 in 2026 and about 60,000 by 2029 to give squads routine access to drones.
- The existing Drone Operations Command will be reorganized into a National Defense Drone Headquarters focused on policy, procurement and industry cooperation while operational control shifts to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
- Seoul will expand counter‑drone defenses with low‑cost interceptor drones in the near term and invest in directed‑energy weapons such as lasers and high‑power microwaves for the mid to long term, with frontline deployments planned from next year.
- The strategy stresses 100% domestically produced components and faster certification and procurement rules to build a sovereign drone industry, a response shaped by lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East and political fallout from a 2024 Pyongyang drone incursion and related prosecutions.