North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been pictured grinning enthusiastically as he witnessed the explosion of so-called “suicide drones”, state media reports.
Clad in a white flat cap with two pairs of binoculars in front of him, Mr Kim beamed as he watched the drone test.
He was the only one sitting down of the entourage of people surrounding him during his visit to the Drone Institute of North Korea’s Academy of Defence Sciences on Saturday.
The test drones successfully identified and hit mock targets after flying on different pre-set routes, state media reported.
North Korean test photos showed a white drone with X-shaped tails and wings supposedly crashing into and destroying a target resembling South Korea’s main K2 battle tank.
According to the Unification Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, it is the first time Pyongyang has unveiled suicide drones.
Mr Kim called for the production of more suicide drones to be used in tactical infantry and special operation units, such as underwater suicide attack drones and strategic reconnaissance and multipurpose attack drones, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
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Asked about the resemblance of the drones to Russia’s ZALA Lancet drone and the Iranian-designed Shahed, which is also used by Russia, a spokesman for South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said more analysis is necessary.
“We understand that some gifts [drones] were given in an exchange between North Korea and Russia in the past,” Lee Chang Hyun said.
“We need to analyse various measures to see if those have improved performance.”
The KCNA said the test involved various types of drones built to fly different ranges to attack enemy targets on land and sea.
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The drone test comes as the US and South Korean militaries carry out the large-scale drills, which continue until Thursday.
The exercises focus on enhancing their readiness against North Korean threats.
They include computer-simulated war games and live-fire training, with a combined aerial drill involving 60 warplanes.
