▲ This photo shows a suicide drone striking a target during a Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise opened to the press at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in the border city of Pocheon, on May 28, 2026. (Yonhap)

military-live-fire drills

S. Korea stages live-fire drills involving advanced, homegrown assets

By Kim Hyun-soo

POCHEON, South Korea, May 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea staged an integrated military firepower exercise Thursday showcasing advanced and homegrown assets, including suicide drones and robots, demonstrating ground and air combat capabilities.

The Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise was held at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, for its final run open to the public, according to the defense ministry. It previously held two similar drills last week.

It marked the first integrated live-fire drills staged under the Lee Jae Myung administration.

This year, the military mobilized some 1,400 troops from 27 units across the military branches – the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps -- along with 457 pieces of equipment.

It showcased a wide range of ground and aerial assets, including the Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system, K2 tanks, K9A1 self-propelled howitzers and a homegrown KF-21 fighter jet, among many others.

Also mobilized were various unmanned assets, deemed critical in modern warfare, such as surveillance drones, "suicide drones" and multi-legged robots.

The first phase of the main drills began under a simulated attack scenario by an enemy, with troops utilizing surveillance drones and satellite assets to collect data on the simulated target.

To complete the defensive mission, an artificial intelligence-driven command and control center gave recommendations to strike, with troops employing a combination of ground and aerial assets, as well as unmanned assets, such as multi-purpose unmanned vehicles, to carry out the operation.

After successfully pushing back the opponents, the troops turned to the second phase of the drills, focused on striking the enemy's mechanized forces and simultaneously deploying assets from land and air, while also employing manned-unmanned teaming combat systems.

Thursday's event, hosted by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, was attended by over 1,900 people, including 400 citizen observers.

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