North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a series of weapons tests and called for a more "deadly and destructive offensive posture".
According to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim, on Thursday, observed tests of a special mission warhead for a tactical ballistic missile, an upgraded multiple rocket launch system and extended-range shells for a self-propelled gun-howitzer.
Kim said the successful tests demonstrated technological progress in strengthening North Korea's firepower posture along the southern border.
He stressed that the country's self-defence policy was aimed at strengthening "the deadly and destructive offensive posture to make no enemy dare to confront."
"To make the enemies feel constant uneasiness and fear is just an important aspect of the exercise of war deterrent," KCNA quoted him as saying.
According to KCNA, the newly tested special mission warhead is designed to inflict "fatal damage" on key targets, including enemy airfields, ports and power facilities.
The renewed emphasis on offensive capabilities comes as military doctrines increasingly recognise the growing importance of drones and low-cost precision weapons in modern combat.
South Korea also announced plans to significantly expand its own drone warfare capabilities in response to what it described as growing military threats from North Korea.
The South Korean defence ministry said it plans to develop long-range exploding drones, acquire more than 20,000 low-cost reconnaissance and attack drones, and train its entire force of around 5,00,000 personnel as "drone warriors."
Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the move was driven both by North Korea's expanding military capabilities and reports that Pyongyang had received technology assistance from Russia, according to news agency AP.
"North Korea is also currently receiving technology transfers from Russia, so there's an urgent need for us to respond proactively to the changing nature of warfare and the evolving operational environment," he said.
He further said the growing use of low-cost loitering munitions in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine had demonstrated the increasing importance of drones on the battlefield. He said South Korea aims to enable its personnel across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines to operate drones "easily like personal firearms."
North Korea has steadily expanded both its nuclear and conventional military capabilities since Kim's diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.
Earlier this week, the country commissioned the 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which Kim described as a symbol of North Korea's growing naval and nuclear capabilities.
