SEOUL: North Korea has unveiled a new “suicide drone,” state media said Monday, with leader Kim Jong Un overseeing a performance test of the weapons, which experts said could have come from Russia.
Wearing a cream baker boy hat, Kim was shown beaming as he watched, aided by high-powered binoculars, as the drones blew up targets, images in state media showed.
Kim said that “it is necessary to develop and produce more suicide drones,” the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, in addition to “strategic reconnaissance and multi-purpose attack drones.”
Suicide drones are explosive-carrying unmanned drones designed to be deliberately crashed into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles.
The nuclear-armed North’s growing drone fleet will “be used within different striking ranges to attack any enemy targets on the ground and in the sea,” KCNA said.
All the drones North Korea tested on August 24 “correctly identified and destroyed the designated targets after flying along different preset routes,” it added.
Kim also said his country would work toward “proactively introducing artificial intelligence technology into the development of drones.”
Experts said the drones in the images released by state media looked similar to the Israeli-made “HAROP” suicide drone, Russian-made “Lancet-3” and Israeli “HERO 30.”
North Korea may have acquired these technologies from Russia, which in turn likely obtained them from Iran — with Tehran itself suspected of accessing them through hacking or theft from Israel.
“The suicide drone that looks similar to HAROP can fly over 1,000km (600 miles),” said Cho Sang-keun, a professor at South Korea’s Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
This is a significant threat to South Korea’s national security and its critical facilities, added Cho.
“They are showing off that they have the ability to hit everything from the tactical level to the strategic level.”
“Should there be a provocation or an international conflict, the South Korean army would inevitably sustain significant damage from these suicide drones,” said Cho.
In 2022, Pyongyang sent drones across the border which Seoul’s military was unable to shoot down, saying they were too small.
In 2023, South Korea launched a drone operation command to better address the growing threat.
Pyongyang and Moscow have been allies since North Korea’s founding after World War II and have drawn even closer since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The United States and South Korea have accused North Korea of providing ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Kim Jong Un unveils new North Korea ‘suicide drones’
https://arab.news/2bjmh
Kim Jong Un unveils new North Korea ‘suicide drones’
- Suicide drones are explosive-carrying unmanned drones designed to be deliberately crashed into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles
Kremlin says Putin is mediating in Iran to normalize situation
- Putin had then been briefed by Pezeshkian in a separate call on what the Kremlin called Tehran’s “sustained efforts” to normalize the situation inside Iran
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin is mediating in the Iran situation to quickly de-escalate tensions, the Kremlin said on Friday, after the Russian leader spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Moscow has condemned US threats of new military strikes after Iran acted against protests that broke out late last month.
Putin in his call with Netanyahu expressed Russia’s willingness to “continue its mediation efforts and to promote constructive dialogue with the participation of all interested states,” the Kremlin said, adding he had set out his ideas for boosting stability in the Middle East.
No further details were given on Putin’s mediation attempt.
Putin had then been briefed by Pezeshkian in a separate call on what the Kremlin called Tehran’s “sustained efforts” to normalize the situation inside Iran.
“It was noted that Russia and Iran unanimously and consistently support de-escalating
the tensions — both surrounding Iran and in the region as a whole — as soon as possible
and resolving any emerging issues through exclusively political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said.
Putin and Pezeshkian had confirmed their commitment to their countries’ strategic partnership and to implementing joint economic projects, the Kremlin added.
Separately, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes Russia, China, India, and Iran, among others, said it opposed external interference in Iran and blamed Western sanctions for creating conditions for unrest.
“Unilateral sanctions have had a significant negative impact on the economic stability of the state, led to a deterioration in people’s living conditions, and objectively limited the ability of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to implement measures to ensure the country’s socio-economic development,” the SCO said in a statement.
Protests erupted on Dec. 28 over soaring inflation in Iran, whose economy has been crippled by sanctions.
Asked what support Russia could provide to Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Russia is already providing assistance not only to Iran but also to the entire region, and to the cause of regional stability and peace. This is partly thanks to the president’s efforts to help de-escalate tensions.”
The US Treasury on Thursday announced new sanctions targeting Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security.
