[INTERVIEW] Don't underestimate North Korea's drones: US analyst
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| Smoke rises after a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, in this Oct. 17 file photo. North Korea may not have advanced drone technology, but South Korea should not underestimate the danger, according to a U.S. defense expert. Reuters-Yonhap |
Kim's interest in drones comes from South Korea's clear vulnerability, Bennett says
By Jung Min-ho
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| Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation |
It was neither a state-of-the-art fighter jet nor an intercontinental ballistic missile that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad three years ago. It was a strike by an MQ-9 Reaper drone.
Although it would take a long time for North Korea to be able to copy anything close to such a high-level operation, South Korea should never underestimate what Pyongyang can ― and hopes to do ― with drone technology, according to Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, a U.S. policy think tank.
"While North Korea apparently lacks such [high-level] drone capabilities, it potentially could fly several dozen armed drones into the ROK Presidential Office or National Assembly or an oil refinery, causing serious damage," Bennett told The Korea Times, using the abbreviation of Republic of Korea, or South Korea, Thursday. "North Korea could also use drones to carry chemical and biological weapons. Only small amounts of biological weapons are required to cause a major disaster in the ROK. For example, the release of 1 to 2 kilograms of anthrax along the route the one drone took into northern Seoul could kill tens of thousands of people or far more and create a major medical crisis in the ROK."
His warning comes two days after five North Korean drones entered South Korea's airspace. One of them traveled as far as northern Seoul. In response, the military sent fighter jets and attack helicopters, but failed to shoot any of them down.
President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the response and vowed to strengthen air defenses against drones. He also ordered the military to expedite the process of launching a unit specializing in drone operations. The military does not have a full-fledged drone unit, with one in the pilot phase, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
