# South Korea says to train 500,000 'drone warriors' to counter North Korea

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-06-26 11:07 UTC · Category: World

## Executive Summary
South Korea is initiating a large-scale training program to equip its active-duty military as drone operators amid shifting regional defense strategies.

## Intelligence Brief
The South Korean Defense Ministry is transitioning toward a force-wide drone training initiative, aiming to train 500,000 personnel as 'drone warriors.' As part of this organizational shift, the existing drone command is being disbanded in favor of a new headquarters. Reports also indicate intentions to develop an indigenous version of the Shahed-136 drone.


Coverage from outlets including Reuters, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal emphasizes the scale of the training mandate for active-duty soldiers. Defense Express notes recent field tests involving Vulcan cannons against FPV drones, while WANA News Agency and Mehr News Agency link regional drone interest to the operational performance of Iranian-designed systems.


Future developments will depend on the implementation of the new drone headquarters and the progress of domestic drone manufacturing. Coverage does not yet specify the timeline for the training program's completion or the specific technical capabilities of the planned indigenous drone systems.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| اسلام تايمز | From Sanctions to Benchmark: Why World Copies Iran's Drone? | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxOZG1fQTA3a1BkSmt3VkxnMzNtSkZGSGd0aU5MMmF4dFhqdFktbWJjWFlfeDBYWW02YUM2MEdUMEJJX2tELXFLY241MVFhVzlzbFRicS1DeEdXelU3TlRYczNqbmV1dkRvbU5fRHpjNmZwMFh1eFZGcXFocXpvNW12d0hxaGFYdEh0VHFxV1owQWVReU9WN0taZ2dQY1hvQlZLRDRlcVN3?oc=5) |
| Defense Express | South Korea Lines Up Eight Vulcan Cannons to Shoot 50 Static FPV Drones, Still Fails to Kill All of Them, Leaves 6 for Soldiers With Shotguns | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMijgJBVV95cUxQSlBxQU80eG9XUmRwbUVZeENIYmNRLXV1RUpBTy0wcXZPRFQ5SURMd1QxUF9HWHVSOUs3QmFMOUt4Uks2Ql81RVBZbmU1WGg1TE96ZDVRd184aHVmdEw0dmxIVWF4OXRfZ1BFc0JXNjE1X3BicjBCbDdIeVUzeEtXbEVRMW1wcFFrZmRmMVFrNW8tR20yd1EycllFckhmRUhxWlpiMFZNdElEVXU4TjVMNDJwRlFIWFF6SUZlQm5QVWdrcWRHT0tpUXpieGZrcWw4MENxc3NmcnpNenVjV1pMNzVnZVdTQ0JPV1RUY0VQaWROelpTOGpqb2xDOEJvU1VEOVlpYklLRlVKM0xrc3c?oc=5) |
| Mehr News Agency | From sanctions to benchmark: Why world copies Iran's drone? | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimAFBVV95cUxPZUd0Y1l0YTgta1BySFBTdW1TZ1RITHZDaUtjbmFDbWxxTVN6T0NUaERWVDU3NWZJejFLa3ZPbzdrb3RMdUExZHBITS1qdjU0cjhxemI4S1pWek9MV1Uwcmg3VTFhWVZPTUJXZm81VWxsdDlGRjM1ZzZDTkN4OEdqRVNrRnNHX2plZnFhUDB6bHJyZlJoNlBhWQ?oc=5) |
| Ars Technica | South Korea plans to train entire military as "drone warriors" | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxOWDFVNVBoMVh4U0xrdkR1bm5tdV9PUlk4M2NCMlZFSVMtZGdQUEFKbEt2NElOX1hrZWRnLXlxQmx1Qi1EaWVsRjFBckg1Q19lSTdIN2kyeGUxTTE4WEtIWWViaTh4bUVfQ3hZOTk0ZnRHTE1WWGFKZHZoZGNFMkZZa20xLTUzbzZ6bDdxN3RtZXdzbDhzcHVPMVlaRE4?oc=5) |
| WANA News Agency | South Korea to Develop Indigenous Version of Iran’s Shahed-136 Drone | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikAFBVV95cUxOVjVrbzhhWTJNMThhVVhLbHB6aHprZjZsN2lqdkdnT0hQN19Bb29oRExQWHR3WjhhNWxNaHFHRkNxZ29fT05udTZTVUVrVGYyZjlFTkZwZDFqXzVFX0hScnJESkpaQ2lkR2V3X3ZYZVZwQ2dvbXNDUzY0aXVLWHJkeTlMYmNrckNnNWVYUW1McFM?oc=5) |
| 조선일보 | Defense Ministry Disbands Drone Command, Establishes New Headquarters | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiAFBVV95cUxPZ25fajNCeGRRNlo2akJYcU43TlJTakhWX0lPdUtrT21rQzZONS1HV19SV2xuM3dzYXlOcW5aQ2lIbngzNndMOWp0WUREMzgxS2xES2Z1WGdjbHFZSko1cVd2a01pOU1ZaVFNN09CSnZ1bGxuaklnQ3p3Sk9WS3N5RWRXcFZsb29x?oc=5) |
| The Guardian | South Korea to train half a million military personnel to become ‘drone warriors’ | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilAFBVV95cUxNbEc0TFMxTWtrRzdva19YM3Z3bHB2SjdOd2Z3Nm9FbzlndmxUWW52UmhQSXZLVTNCUmFZckJNQ2tyeGRQM2hRM0ZZeVFJVkpCaFpUeWdrTXJuOVIxRlI2TTc0ellVVnRqbjlpX3JtUG5hSDFheVRlYlVURTZTZV82ajlkdXBvUnlMMGxoMy0wQTM3N2Zy?oc=5) |
| WSJ | South Korea to Train All Active-Duty Soldiers to Operate Drones | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxOcVByajU2akJCX25HNjhIdjR3OTd4R200ZEQzNFlmR294MlNRLVJQbnk5a1R4b2hTSmhPeXFUNzhhUjhqeEdORkJZcTRXZ1RiQUtEQ3dCc1VvWE1MTVFLZDRJbUtiTkFHLVlfQ0ZrcE82c1huX1pJd3VaWWViQVZyTVRNUVJtZzhiRlZmUjNaRkhiVDhYTnFDNEktUWpaRkVZMmczckV3?oc=5) |
| Reuters | South Korea says to train 500,000 'drone warriors' to counter North Korea | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiwAFBVV95cUxNaEllbVVSRlpvQkdiS1RfMzhvTjZZRnBKbzVRVXFld2ZIbV9QRDhrZ2ZlOUljRkRzeGdrbW1HYkZabUlST3ZtQlhMVDdHbzRqSF9renk2TDdHSlRxZGxIaE05N3Jzb2RTaU13VVB4dlZXeTFVbE81LVZyZnA5YkxaM3MzRHJsX0lVOTBVRHRXdFVhdnlSdi03dVRVZndKMkRJcWVlOVVCZFU4SFBQTDdTSVlEXzRDRzVpdkFQbWpYMnY?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-06-26/south-korea-says-to-train-500-000-drone-warriors-to-counter-north-korea*