Value context and insight. lkm@koreatimes.co.kr
KAIST to develop advanced drones amid growing NK threat
A soldier engages in a response drill to counter attacks by small unmanned drones at an air force base in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Feb. 12. Korea Times file
By Lee Kyung-min
Yoon Yong-jin / Courtesy of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
By Lee Kyung-min
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will initiate an in-depth research project to develop new drone technologies, the university said, Monday, to better prepare against attacks using remotely-piloted aircraft.
The announcement coincides growing fears of North Korea's attempts to send surveillance drones to South Korea. In December of last year, a number of unmanned drones sent by North Korea infiltrated South Korean airspace and stayed about seven hours over areas in Gyeonggi Province. The military failed to detect them, amplifying concerns of security breaches.
KAIST Professor of mechanical engineering Yoon Yong-jin at has won a 12.95 billion won ($9.9 million) government grant to advance research into the development and commercialization of drones through 2026, the university said Monday.
The money is part of a 49 billion won grant set up to foster defense projects in Daejeon, a city south of Seoul. Half, or 24.5 billion won, will be drawn each from Daejeon Metropolitan City and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, a defense ministry-affiliated agency.
The three-year project will be jointly commissioned by KAIST and Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement, a defense ministry-affiliated research organization.
Their objectives will include the establishment of a research institute specializing in drone technology development, fostering the commercial viability of local drone businesses and providing infrastructure whereby startups are able to run tests of new equipment and technologies.
The project is expected to create an environment conducive to in-depth research and development of high-tech drones, underpinned by a number of state-run and private science and IT research institutes based in and around Daejeon.
The project will expedite the development of nano drones and transformable drones, a focus equally important as strengthening production capabilities of locally made materials and parts needed for drone manufacturing.
The research in turn will create synergy among small- and medium-sized enterprises and the government. High-quality jobs will be created in the process, fortifying the country's overall science and defense research efficiency, according to the university.
Yoon holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Korea University and a master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in the U.S.
He served as a professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore from 2010 to 2018.
Yoon was appointed as a professor of mechanical engineering at KAIST in 2018 and has since devoted research works to advance and commercialize related technology.
The global commercial drone market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 38.6 percent from 2023 through 2030. The market was scaled at $29.86 billion in 2022.