dpa
Seoul
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stressed the need to boost the development and production of "suicide drones,” state media reported on Monday.
State news agency KCNA reported that Kim observed a performance test of various drones organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences in Pyongyang on Saturday.
Official photos showed white drones with X-shaped wings targeting and exploding against mock tanks, which, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, resembled South Korean K-2 tanks.
According to KCNA, Kim said that it was necessary to develop and produce more "suicide drones” - unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with explosives designed to be flown into enemy targets - to be used in tactical infantry and special operation units. The weapons test occurred amidst heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the United States and South Korea are conducting a large-scale military exercise to deter North Korea.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry criticized the military exercises as "provocative war exercises” and "a prelude to a nuclear war,” while Washington and Seoul rejected Pyongyang’s accusations. Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has significantly increased the scope of its weapons tests, including the testing of nuclear-capable missiles.