Yoon: "Early Establishment of Drone Unit... Stealth Enhancement, Reconnaissance Capability Strengthening" (Update)

Presiding over Cabinet Meeting at Yongsan Presidential Office, Points Out Military Readiness and Calls for "Expansion of Power Budget"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 27th. /

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned the early establishment of a drone unit on the 27th, stating, "We will stealthify drones with cutting-edge technology to strengthen surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities." This measure comes in response to criticism that the air defense zone protecting key facilities was breached following the intrusion of a North Korean unmanned aerial vehicle into South Korean airspace the previous day.

At 10:30 a.m. that day, President Yoon chaired a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office, pointing out, "This incident shows that our military's readiness and training have been severely lacking over the past few years and confirms the need for stronger readiness and more rigorous training."

In particular, President Yoon stated, "Since 2017, efforts to respond to UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) drones and build related capabilities have not been properly made, and training has been nonexistent," adding, "I believe the public has clearly seen how dangerous the North Korea policy relying solely on North Korea's goodwill and military agreements is." This remark criticized the previous administration's North Korea policy while expressing a determination to actively respond to future North Korean military provocations.

He continued, "We had planned to establish a drone unit to monitor and reconnoiter North Korea's major military facilities, but following yesterday's incident, we will expedite the establishment of the drone unit as much as possible," and said, "We will stealthify drones with cutting-edge technology to enhance surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities." Regarding budget management related to this, he added, "The budget for next year's response capabilities against unmanned aerial provocations was cut by 50% in the National Assembly," and emphasized, "We will persuade the National Assembly again in the new year to increase the defense budget so that the public does not feel anxious, and we will expand both the budget and capabilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.