South Korea Plans to Train 500,000 Troops to Operate Drones

South Korea plans to significantly expand its military drone and counter-drone capabilities to strengthen its defenses against threats from North Korea.

According to Reuters, citing the Ministry of National Defense, the initiative will train 500,000 ‘drone warriors’ by ensuring that every service member can operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The military also plans to distribute tens of thousands of drones across its combat units.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the armed forces aim to field about 60,000 drones across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps by 2029, with 11,000 drone systems expected to be deployed in 2026 alone.

The ministry said drones will become standard-issue equipment across all branches of the military.

“Drones should no longer be equipment used only by specialized units. They must become a universal combat tool,” Ahn said, describing them as soldiers’ ‘second personal weapon.’

The announcement reflects a broader effort by both South and North Korea to strengthen their drone capabilities, influenced by lessons from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, where drones have played a critical role in modern warfare.

South Korea also plans to build its drones using only domestically produced components, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.

In addition, Seoul intends to expand its counter-drone defenses, including laser and microwave weapon systems, while giving each military branch the ability to independently carry out reconnaissance and precision strike missions using drones.

In addition, the military plans to rapidly procure more than 20,000 low-cost disposable drones, deploy AI-based drone swarm systems, and acquire loitering munitions.

The defense ministry also announced its intention to revise procurement regulations to accelerate the adoption of civilian technologies and support the development of the country’s domestic unmanned systems industry.

At the beginning of last year, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine stated that South Korea was interested in Ukraine’s experience of using drones on the modern battlefield.