Seoul has launched a new agency to steer the military’s drone and counter-drone development, days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a drone expo that highlighted growing threats from the DPRK’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The Defense Drone Agency (국방드론본부) launched on Monday replaces the Drone Operations Command (드론작전사령부), which was established in 2023 under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to lead drone operations against North Korea.

The reorganization strips the command of operational control and transfers its strike operations and other functions to the army, navy, air force and marine corps, allowing each service to develop and