North Korean Leader Personally Oversees Unmanned Weapons Tests
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that kim Jong Un toured the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology Complex in Pyongyang today, overseeing tests for multipurpose reconnaissance drones.
The North Korean leader highlighted rapid progress of modern artificial intelligence technology as a “top priority” to enhance the military’s unmanned weapons systems, KCNA stated.
Kim also called for expanding and strengthening continuous drone production capacity. This visit comes one week after he supervised tests of a new solid-fuel missile engine intended for intercontinental ballistic missiles, describing it as a “remarkable” advancement in pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities.
According to the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), North Korea’s military strength includes ballistic and cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads, growing nuclear weapons stockpiles, and an emerging reconnaissance satellite launch program.
While politically and economically dependent on China, Pyongyang under Kim has steadily strengthened ties with Russia, Al Jazeera reported.
Last year, Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense treaty that drew sharp criticism from Western countries.
A recent German think tank claimed that although North Korea supplied approximately $10 billion worth of arms to Moscow and deployed tens of thousands of troops to assist Russian forces in Ukraine, it received only between $457 million and $1.19 billion in return.
