North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called on his military to develop “absolute superiority” in drone warfare, as he oversaw demonstrations of a range of weapons including cruise missiles and new unmanned aerial vehicles.
The show of strength was reported by North Korean state media on Friday, and comes amid heightened tensions along the border with South Korea, where Pyongyang has stationed artillery aimed towards Seoul.
Kim attended the weapons exhibition on Thursday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, where demonstrations included tactical suicide attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, multipurpose drones and 600mm multiple rocket launchers.
The display on Thursday also highlighted Kim's push to modernise North Korea's armed forces by using drones and artificial intelligence as the country draws lessons from Russia's war against Ukraine and other global conflicts.
State media said Kim had first ordered the mass production of suicide attack drones in November 2024, oversaw tests of AI-equipped versions in March 2025 and in September 2025 called AI a top priority in weapons modernisation.
Speaking at Thursday’s event, Kim said that pursuing superiority in drone technology was “an indispensable option”, amid the changing nature of military warfare.
KCNA photos showed Kim watching soaring weapons or him clenching his fist while his teenage daughter was clapping her hands beside him. South Korea's spy agency assesses that the girl, reportedly about 13, is likely Kim's heir.
Other images showed what appeared to be an unmanned aerial vehicle crashing into a military vehicle and exploding in a ball of flame during a weapons demonstration.
The announcement comes as North Korea remains embroiled in a standoff with rival South Korea along their heavily fortified border, with Seoul accusing Pyongyang of launching about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea in what were its first ballistic weapons firings in 17 days.
Tensions between the two Koreas are running high since last month's land mine blasts at their border that wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul accused North Korea of burying the mines south of the military demarcation line and demanded an apology. But Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the explosions and warned of retaliation if provoked.
Last week, North Korea threatened to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts and place new weapons systems along the border.
North Korea has not engaged in talks with the US and South Korea since Kim's high-stakes diplomacy with US president Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. In recent weeks, North Korea has dialled up weapons testing activities in a likely attempt to boost its leverage in potential diplomacy with the US after Trump expressed his eagerness to restore talks with Kim.
On Saturday, Kim made a surprise visit to a Chinese border town via a newly opened bridge and vowed to develop bilateral ties. Kim has recently taken steps to cement ties with China, North Korea's economic pipeline, after years of prioritising ties with Russia, including by sending troops and ammunitions to support its war against Ukraine.
