North Korean officials tour drone operator training facility in Russian Far East

North Korea's South Pyongan Province delegation tours a drone operator training facility in Russia's Amur Region, May 15. Courtesy of NK News

North Korean officials toured a key facility for training drone operators in Russia’s Far East on Friday, local authorities reported, amid efforts to boost economic and scientific exchanges.

North Korea's South Pyongan Province delegation has been visiting Russia’s Far Eastern Amur region since last Monday and toured the Center for Drone Competencies in Belogorsk last Friday, according to the regional parliament.

At the Center for Drone Competencies, North Korean officials from the provincial parliament learned about the region’s achievements in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their use in the military, agriculture, monitoring and logistics.

The delegation reportedly observed “drone operations” and learned how to control and maintain UAVs, with special attention paid to “training specialists in the operation of unmanned systems and developing educational programs for young people.”

The center was created in 2023 and trains UAV operators from among Russian servicemen participating in the Ukraine war. It closely collaborates with the national military and also provides drone-related courses to schoolchildren.

The Amur region is also home to the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport, where Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Sept. 2023.

North Korea has made efforts to develop its own UAV capabilities, including producing copycats of U.S. drones like the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4B Global Hawk, while also focusing on smaller expendable models such as the Geran, a copy of the Iranian Shahed, and loitering munitions resembling Israeli variants.

Kyiv previously alleged that Moscow helped Pyongyang set up Geran production facilities in North Korea and even trained North Korean drone operators. UAVs have become an indispensable component of the Ukraine war, North Korean troops fighting in Kursk using drones and learning how to defend against them.

North Korea's South Pyongan Province delegation touring a drone operator training facility in Russia's Amur Region on May 15. Courtesy of NK News

The drone training facility was not the only site visited by the South Pyongan officials on Friday. They also toured the Amur soybean oil extraction plant, learning about its products and equipment, according to local authorities.

The following day, the officials explored the new Amur airport, a surgical center and a soy research facility.

The South Pyongan officials also visited Amur State University, including its rocket and space technology units, a greenhouse complex and the Amur Regional Museum of Local History on Sunday.

The delegation appears interested in promoting economic exchanges between the two regions, having previously met Amur Gov. Vasily Orlov to discuss cooperation in various fields, according to Orlov’s press service.

Orlov reportedly proposed exports of soybean oil, meal and other foodstuffs, as well as “joint projects in the agricultural sector, sports and education.”

The delegation similarly discussed cooperation in the energy sector with Amur officials in a meeting with local lawmakers, according to the region’s legislature.

Read the article at NK News.