North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the test of new “Kumsong” attack drones and ordered that their capabilities be strengthened through the use of artificial intelligence, according to state media cited by Al Jazeera.

Images released by the official Korean Central News Agency showed the drones taking off and destroying a designated target. KCNA reported that Kim expressed “great satisfaction” at what it described as the “excellent combat effectiveness” of the aircraft.

The North Korean leader also stressed that attack drones had become “a key element of military activity and a top priority in the modernisation of the country’s armed forces.” He further directed officials to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence technologies in the sector, expand production capacities and bolster a strategic fleet of drones intended for both reconnaissance and offensive missions according to the report.

Pyongyang unveiled its first attack drones last year, a move that experts warned was closely linked to its growing military partnership with Russia, and may also be linked to Chinese agencies supplying Pyongyang with technical support to some degree.

North Korea and Russia also signed a mutual defence treaty in 2024 and both remain subject to sweeping international sanctions - Moscow for its war in Ukraine and Pyongyang for its ongoing nuclear weapons programme the report adds.

According to multiple assessments by South Korean and western intelligence agencies, North Korea deployed more than 10,000 troops to Russia in 2024 with an estimated 600 since killed while fighting for Moscow alongside Russian forces. Kim Jong Un recently held a ceremony in the North Korean capital for the families of some of those killed. Pyongyang is also believed to have supplied Moscow with artillery shells and long-range rocket systems.