Kim Jong Un urges drone dominance as North Korea fires missiles, rockets

North Korean leader ‌Kim Jong Un ​called for his country to seize "absolute superiority" in drone technology, speaking at an unmanned aeronautical technology ‌exhibition and weapons demonstration, state media KCNA reported on Friday.

A firepower demonstration following the exhibition involved tactical suicide attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, multipurpose drones ‌and a battalion of 600mm multiple rocket launchers, KCNA said. South Korea's military ‌said on Thursday that North Korea had fired around 10 projectiles, including short-range ballistic missiles.

According to KCNA, Kim said that pursuing superiority in drone technology was "an indispensable option" ⁠given ​the changing nature of ⁠modern warfare. He also said using high-level AI in unmanned weapons systems should be a ⁠top priority for North Korea in building modern armed forces, KCNA reported.

Kim has ​made repeated calls for the development of drones and AI in ⁠the military. According to state media, Kim ordered mass production of suicide attack drones ⁠in ​November 2024 and oversaw tests of AI-equipped versions in March 2025. In September 2025, he called AI a top priority in modernising weapons. Since ⁠October 2024, North Korea has sent more than 16,000 personnel to Russia ⁠to aid ⁠in its war against Ukraine, and gained live experience of drone, electronic and combined-arms warfare, according to South Korean ‌intelligence.