Kim Jong-un embraces AI as he's seen with hi-tech drones in new North Korea clip

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un supervised his latest test of military attack drones and called for artificial intelligence and other technological updates to boost their operational capabilities.

State Media KCNA released photos of Kim on Friday inspecting a drone research facility whose location remains unclear. Some of the images showed Kim watching a flight of a drone resembling the US Reaper drone.

Drones along with naval assets and surveillance satellites have been a key focus of Kim’s recent efforts to expand his conventional military capabilities after he spent much of his early rule concentration onNuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

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It comes after news that the North Korean leader was to unleash a "radioactive tsunami" after being spotted inspecting the testing of underwater nuclear drones.

The North Korean military has been ordered to trial nuclear-armed underwater drones by its East Sea Fleet, following Kim's emphasis on the importance of arming the navy with nuclear capabilities. This move is believed to be in preparation for full-scale deployment.

A military insider informed Daily NK that a government agency has instructed the military to ready the "Haeil" (tsunami) underwater attack drone.

Since late last month, a secretive laboratory for underwater weapons at the country's Academy of National Defence Science has been working alongside naval units to kick-start trial drone operations in the field. "The Haeil – that's the craft they want to deploy with certain squadrons in the East Sea Fleet – is a large torpedo-type drone that's about 13 meters long and 1.5 meters in diameter," the source revealed.

"It's considered an underwater weapon system capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. But its technical combat specifications, as well as whether it will actually be nuclear-armed, will need to be reviewed during trial operations.".

North Korea has already conducted several tests of the Haeil since 2023 and the Kim regime has described the drone as a weapon which can covertly approach enemy vessels or ports before annihilating them with a "radioactive tsunami" generated by an underwater explosion.

There's still a question mark over whether the drones are actually potent enough to create the "super-scale radioactive tsunami" that Pyongyang has described.

"While it's uncertain how effective Haeil would be in actual combat, the authorities regard it as both a strategic 'ace in the hole' and a means of infiltrating enemy strongholds to exact nuclear retribution," the source added. "There's a general feeling in the military that simply acquiring a weapon that can detonate underwater in key locations represents a show of naval force, which has raised hopes and boosted confidence."

North Korea is also believed to be constructing its largest ever warship, following the release of alarming new satellite images earlier this year. The images, captured by Maxar Technologies, suggest this could be the isolationist nation's largest and most technologically advanced warship in its fleet, sparking worries about the progression and development of North Korea's potential offensive force.

This follows the discovery of a secret military base on North Korea's border with China, which could potentially house apocalyptic missiles. The base, located in North Pyongan Province, is just 17 miles from the Chinese border.