S.Korea to Set up Drone Operations Command in 2023

South Korea’s defense ministry said it plans to launch a drone operations command in the second half of this year.

The ministry put up a public notice on the enactment of a decree to establish the drone operations command.

According to the ministry, the planned command will carry out various missions by utilizing the unmanned aircraft, including surveillance and reconnaissance, psychological warfare, electromagnetic warfare and strike operations.

The ministry noted the need to establish the unit, citing threats from North Korea's drone infiltrations and the changing security environment, such as the increasing use of drones for modern and future warfare.

In December last year, North Korean UAVs crossed the military demarcation line and appeared in Paju, Gimpo, on Ganghwa Island, causing the temporary suspension of 30 civilian flights at Seoul’s airports.