Kim Demands Drone ‘Superiority’ as China Drills Near Disputed Shoals and Allies Confer

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched suicide attack drones, tactical cruise missiles and a battalion of 600-millimeter rocket launchers fire at a live demonstration on October 29, and then demanded “absolute superiority” in unmanned attack weapons, North Korea’s state news agency said, Yonhap reported !Unverified claim, KCNA (North Korean state media). South Korea’s military counted about 10 short-range ballistic missiles that flew about 250 kilometers, a tally that differs from Pyongyang’s own description of the weapons.

Key figures: About 10 short-range ballistic missiles, per seoul · 6 and 7 chinese aircraft sorties and navy ships near taiwan · $6.3B binance theft that analysts blame on north korea

Why it matters: the display, the third-party estimates that do not match, and China’s coast guard drills near shoals claimed by the Philippines all landed on the eve of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta where Seoul, Tokyo and Washington planned to compare notes. Our earlier report on the Wonsan missile launch covers the first reports of the firing.

Lessons from Ukraine, and a counting dispute

A wire report said the demonstration reflects Pyongyang’s push to use drones and artificial intelligence as it draws lessons from its troops’ role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, The Japan Times reported. NK News noted that the United States, South Korea and Japan had given widely different estimates of how many projectiles were fired, according to NK News, and North Korea gave no number at all.

The allies moved quickly. Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan discussed the launches by phone on October 30, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said, Yonhap reported. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun was set to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, followed by the signing of a trilateral Arctic-Pacific Partnership memorandum, according to Yonhap.

Pyongyang also lashed out at the US-South Korean Freedom Flag air exercise, which began on October 26. “Our armed forces will thoroughly deter threats with force,” a defense ministry spokesperson said, Yonhap reported, citing KCNA !Unverified claim, KCNA (North Korean state media). Before the drills, South Korea’s KF-21 fighter flew in formation with US F-35, F-16 and U-2S aircraft for the first time, Yonhap said.

Alliance friction, denied

South Korea’s defense minister, Kang Shin-chul, said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dismissed reports of friction in the alliance as “fake news” during their talks in Cebu. “Those claims cannot, and must not, shake the rock-solid foundation of the South Korea-U.S. alliance,” Kang said. Still, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers the United States restricted some intelligence sharing this year after a South Korean minister disclosed details of a suspected North Korean nuclear site, though it said the curbs covered only a very limited portion of intelligence, NK News reported. Our story on the ASEAN defense meeting in Cebu has more on those talks.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Seoul will not get involved in the war with Iran but could contribute in the Strait of Hormuz if necessary, Yonhap reported. Japan, meanwhile, plans more realistic drills with US forces, including more live-fire training, The Japan Times reported.

China’s coast guard and a new drone carrier

To the south, China’s coast guard trained near Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal for foreign vessels “illegally” entering the area, including water cannon use, drone operations and small-boat moves, state broadcaster CCTV said without giving dates, the South China Morning Post reported !Unverified claim, CCTV (Chinese state media). Both shoals sit at the center of China’s dispute with the Philippines.

China’s GJ-21 stealth drone also completed its first takeoff and landing on the amphibious assault ship Sichuan, Xinhua said, according to the South China Morning Post !Unverified claim, Xinhua (Chinese state media). A Communist Party meeting confirmed the expulsion of 33 Central Committee members, including 16 senior generals, the Post reported.

Taiwan

Around Taiwan, the island’s Defense Ministry detected six sorties by Chinese military aircraft, seven navy ships and one official ship as of 6 a.m. Taipei time on October 30, the ministry said. Three of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan responded with patrol aircraft, ships and coastal missile systems. Our earlier Taiwan map story counted 53 Chinese ships in the region.

By the numbers

Half of the six Chinese aircraft sorties near Taiwan crossed the median line, and ships outnumbered aircraft seven to six, according to the ministry’s figures. South Korea’s count of about 10 missiles sits at the low end of the earlier estimates of 10 to 12. The $6.3 billion Binance theft that analysts blame on North Korea, reported by The Japan Times, would be a record crypto heist.

What comes next

Watch what the three foreign ministers agree in Atlanta, whether North Korea follows up with longer-range launches during Freedom Flag, and any coast guard moves at the two shoals. The US Federal Communications Commission also banned Chinese labs from testing US-bound electronics, and China’s Foreign Ministry said it “firmly opposes and deplores” the move, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said; today’s trade war story has more.

Sources

• Yonhap News Agency: (LEAD) N. Korea showcases 'Sniper' rocket launcher in weapons demonstration
• The Japan Times: Kim urges drone dominance as North Korea fires missiles and rockets
• NK News: North Korea says it launched barrage of 600mm 'Sniper' rockets at live-fire demo
• Yonhap News Agency: S. Korea, U.S., Japan discuss N. Korea's latest missile launches by phone
• Yonhap News Agency: (LEAD) Top diplomats of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to discuss N. Korea, trilateral cooperation
• Yonhap News Agency: N. Korea slams S. Korea, U.S.' Freedom Flag air drills, vows to deter with force
• Yonhap News Agency: S. Korea's indigenous KF-21 fighter jet conducts 1st formation flight with U.S. aircraft
• Yonhap News Agency: Hegseth calls talk of shaky S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'fake news:' Seoul's defense minister
• NK News: US curbed intel sharing over Seoul's disclosure of North Korean nuke site: NIS
• Yonhap News Agency: (URGENT) Seoul will not get involved in war, make contribution in Hormuz if necessary: Wi
• The Japan Times: With China in mind, Japan eyes more realistic joint military exercises
• South China Morning Post: Beijing drills water cannons and drones near disputed South China Sea shoals
• South China Morning Post: China launches GJ-21 drone from first Type 076 warship Sichuan: state media
• South China Morning Post: 16 generals expelled from party in China's expanding PLA anti-corruption drive
• Taiwan Ministry of National Defense: PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan
• The Japan Times: Hackers steal $6.3 billion from Binance in record heist blamed on North Korea
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun's Regular Press Conference on October 30, 2026

Additional sources

• Yonhap: Swiss foreign minister visits North Korea as diplomatic office opens
• The Japan Times: Koizumi vows to uphold defense-oriented policy
• South China Morning Post: Australian PM to visit Beijing after APEC
• Yonhap: Seoul to keep taking measures over DMZ blast