Who Is Kim Deuk-bong? Inaugural Commander of South Korea's Defense Drone Command
Kim Deuk-bong, the current Drone Operations Command chief, will serve as the inaugural commander of South Korea's new Defense Drone Command, according to The Herald Business.
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The Ministry of National Defense reorganized the existing Drone Operations Command into the new body, following its “Defense Drone and Counter-Drone Development Policy” announced earlier in 2026 (The Herald Business).
Where Kim Deuk-bong Is Now
The command held its inauguration ceremony at its Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province site, attended by Deputy Defense Minister Lee Du-hee, in an article dated 2 November 2026 (The Herald Business). The report says the new commander holds the same major-general rank as the former chief.
- Role: inaugural commander of the Defense Drone Command; previously chief of the Drone Operations Command (The Herald Business)
- Rank: major general, per the same report (The Herald Business)
The Command He Leads
The ministry says the command will focus on concept development, demonstration, requirements generation and civil-military cooperation, and will not overlap with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's responsibilities for weapons acquisition, project management and contracting (The Herald Business).
It has authority over drone requirements review, acquisition support and certification across the service branches, while strike and other operational functions moved to Army, Air Force and Marine Corps units.
Authorized strength was reduced to about 100 personnel, with field-grade officers making up 50 percent of working-level staff versus 17 percent under the previous command of about 280. The report notes critics have raised concerns the command could duplicate the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Agency for Defense Development, without naming them. The English text is a translation of a Korean original, so wording may differ.
- Core missions: concept development, demonstration, requirements generation, civil-military cooperation
- Authorized strength: about 100 personnel
- Ministry is also pursuing a Korean version of the US “Blue UAS” framework; no start date stated
Recent News
2 November 2026: The Herald Business reported the launch (The Herald Business). For the buyers and makers around military drone programs, see our anti-drone technology hub. Informational only, not investment advice.
Kim Deuk-bong FAQs
Who is Kim Deuk-bong?
He is the Drone Operations Command chief who will be the first commander of South Korea's Defense Drone Command (The Herald Business).
What does South Korea's Defense Drone Command do?
The ministry says it focuses on concept development, demonstration, requirements generation and civil-military cooperation, and does not take over weapons acquisition from DAPA (The Herald Business).