This file photo, taken Sept. 21, 2022, shows Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup (3rd from R) looking at a drone in a defense exhibition in Goyang, just north of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s military plans to launch a drone operations command in the second half of this year, Seoul’s defense ministry said Wednesday, in a move to counter North Korea’s military threats and bolster its use of the unmanned assets.
The ministry put up a public notice on the enactment of a decree to establish the drone operations command amid efforts to step up readiness after North Korea’s drone incursions late last year.
The planned command will carry out various missions by utilizing the unmanned aircraft, including surveillance and reconnaissance, psychological warfare, electromagnetic warfare and strike operations, according to the ministry.
The ministry noted the need to establish the unit, citing threats from North Korea’s drone infiltrations and the changing security environment, such as the increasing use of drones for modern and future warfare.
The ministry said it expects the planned command will make it possible to carry out strategic and operational missions “systematically and efficiently” in the battlefield.
After the North’s Dec. 26 drone infiltrations, the military unveiled a plan in January to set up the specialized unit and a series of anti-drone measures, such as holding regular air defense drills and securing drone jamming guns and other assets.
(Yonhap)
