The South Korean Army is launching a force restructuring initiative to accelerate the deployment of drones, which have emerged as a key weapon on the modern battlefield, tailored to the Korean Peninsula's security environment.
Beyond the limited use of drones for existing surveillance and reconnaissance missions, the Army plans to actively introduce attack drones such as kamikaze drones and expand drone training so that all soldiers can operate drones as freely as their personal weapons.
"We intend to define drones as a concept similar to personal weapons going forward," Army Chief of Staff Kim Kyu-ha said at a policy briefing for media at Gyeryongdae on Monday. "We will enable soldiers to operate them as freely as the personal weapons every combatant carries."
"Drones will be developed not only for surveillance and reconnaissance but also for strike and sustainment support operations," Kim said. "We are pushing to equip units from the company level to the operational command level with drones that match the strategic and tactical objectives of each echelon."
The Army specifically disclosed that it is pursuing the introduction of "battalion-level kamikaze drones." The plan is to deploy kamikaze drones to battalion-level combat units on the front lines and prepare operations utilizing attack drones.
"Drone operations in Russia, Ukraine and Iran are very different from the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Topographically, the differences are particularly significant," he stressed. "We need to develop drone operation doctrine and force systems suited to Korea."
As part of its "500,000 Drone Warriors" training policy, the Army plans to introduce about 11,000 commercial drones for training this year and approximately 50,000 by 2029. Through this, the Army aims to ensure each squad can operate one training drone.
On the recent controversy over reducing guard soldiers at front-line General Outposts (GOP), Kim explained that "the situation does not allow for an immediate reduction in troops."
"We are currently piloting an AI-based scientific surveillance system in two divisions, and it is evolving in a direction that significantly reduces gaps in guard operations," he added. "(Troop reduction) cannot be achieved in the short term, but I believe it will be sufficiently feasible by around 2040."
The Ministry of National Defense recently announced plans to build an AI-based scientific surveillance system at front-line GOP units and, based on this, reduce guard forces from the current 22,000 to about 6,000 by 2040.
Kim also raised the issue of troop shortages, adding, "Honestly, the Army alone cannot solve all of this problem. I think it is very important to openly reveal the problem and find alternatives together with the public."
