South Korea's Ministry of National Defense has launched a new drone agency tasked with strategizing and developing drone systems as well as drone and anti-drone technologies, following North Korea's accelerated development of unmanned weapons and simulated drone swarm attacks.
On 2 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Yonhap News Agency reported that South Korea's Ministry of National Defense opened a new drone agency to strengthen unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities and drone countermeasures amid ongoing threats from North Korea's advancing drone technology.
The opening ceremony for the Defense Drone Agency was held in Pocheon, about 40 kilometers north of Seoul, attended by Lee Doo-hee, Deputy Minister of National Defense, and military officials. The ministry stated that this new agency will replace the former Drone Operations Command, acting as the central hub for drone policy and strategy, including counter-drone systems, and will oversee development for all military branches. The previous command had mainly focused on drone operations.
The establishment of this new agency follows the government's comprehensive unmanned systems development policy announced in June, aimed at enhancing national defense capabilities with unmanned technology, which is becoming a crucial factor transforming modern battlefield warfare.
This development comes as North Korea accelerates drone technology advancements, applying lessons from Russia's military involvement in Ukraine. North Korea recently tested weapons last week by simulating drone swarm attacks against South Korean guard posts and U.S. tanks.
Source: Yonhap