Drawing on the lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, South Korea’s Territorial Defense units conducted specialized anti-drone drills.

The Korean publication E News Today reported about the training.

The 36th Homeland Defense Infantry Division conducted joint defense exercises at a critical infrastructure site in the city of Taebaek, Gangwon Province. The primary goal was to practice responses to a terrorist attack involving drones.

These drills were part of the military maneuvers for Freedom Shield 2025.

The drills involved more than 100 participants, including Ha Hong Chul, the commander of the 36th Division, Kim Dong Gyoon, the deputy mayor of Taebaek, as well as representatives from the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), fire services, police, and other agencies.

According to the exercise scenario, a terrorist attack was carried out on a strategically important facility. The scenario involved an unidentified drone causing an explosion at a substation, resulting in a fire and casualties.

Upon receiving the alarm, the authorities in Taebaek declared an air raid alert and implemented the highest level of emergency. Firefighting and rescue units were immediately deployed to extinguish the fire and evacuate the victims.

Meanwhile, the security team of the Korea Electric Power Corporation, utilizing surveillance systems, identified the infiltration of an enemy sabotage group and swiftly apprehended one of the attackers.

Simultaneously, the unit of the 36th Division deployed reconnaissance drones provided by the Korea Forest Service and the Agricultural Technology Center to locate and neutralize additional terrorists.

During the exercises, an unknown white substance was discovered near the substation. As a result, a rapid response team specializing in radiation, chemical, and biological defense was called to the scene to conduct the necessary analyses. A suspicious bag was also found and safely neutralized by a bomb disposal team through a controlled detonation.

When a kamikaze drone was detected in the airspace near the substation, the military deployed an anti-drone rifle, attempting to disrupt it using electronic warfare (EW) systems. Afterward, the drone was shot down by a K263 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.

At the end of February 2025, it was reported that South Korea had expressed interest in the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ experience of using drones on the modern battlefield.