South Korean spies to boost intel sharing over drone threats

SEOUL: South Korea's spy agency said on Friday it would boost drone-related data sharing with the army to strengthen responses to "evolving" threats.

The country shares its border with nuclear-armed North Korea, with which it remains technically at war.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the mass production of attack drones in 2024, and Russia has reportedly used North Korean submunitions on drones to attack Ukraine.

South Korea's spy agency said on Friday that it had signed an agreement with the army "to strengthen (our) drone security capabilities and jointly respond to evolving drone threats".

"As drones have emerged as a key military asset in modern warfare, including in the war in Ukraine, demand has been rising for data on the latest drone models used on overseas battlefields in order to bolster the operational capabilities of our military," it said.

The deal includes sharing domestic and overseas drone security information, improving regulations on the use of the latest drones and conducting joint drills against drone threats targeting national security facilities, the agency said.

Experts say Pyongyang may have received technical help from Russia to develop its drone programme, in return for sending thousands of North Korean soldiers to help Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea said last year its new strategic reconnaissance drone was capable of "tracking and monitoring different strategic targets and enemy troops' activities on the ground and the sea", in a reference to South Korean forces.

The North has also said Kim has praised the performance of "suicide attack drones" that use artificial intelligence.

In 2022, five North Korean drones crossed into the South, prompting Seoul's military to fire warning shots and deploy fighter jets.

But the planes were unable to shoot down any drones -- one of which breached the no-fly zone around the presidential office -- because the devices were "too small".

And last year, two Chinese nationals were arrested for illegally flying drones to film a South Korean naval base and a visiting US aircraft carrier docked in the port city of Busan.

The illegally obtained materials reportedly included 172 photos and 22 video files, some of which were shared without authorisation on social media platforms including TikTok.