[The Editors' Verdict] The 'Anticipation' and 'Fear' Drones Have Dropped on the World

Walmart Expands Drone Delivery to Five Major Cities
Ukraine Uses Drones for Surprise Attack on Russian Air Bases
Finding Ways to Maximize the Advantages of Low Cost and High Efficiency

"It's perfect for when you urgently need something like hamburger buns for an outdoor party, eggs to make brownies, Tylenol, or cold medicine. The most common feedback we get from customers is, 'When are you coming to our neighborhood?'"

"It could be compared to the Pearl Harbor attack. It will become a nightmare for every military commander around the world. Who could stop China from doing the same thing to a US Air Force base, or North Korea to a South Korean Air Force base?"

Anticipation and fear. The source of these two very different reactions is the same: drones. This month, two contrasting pieces of news about drones have emerged. On one hand, Walmart in the United States announced a dramatic expansion of its drone delivery service to 100 stores across five major cities. On the other hand, Ukraine shook up the battlefield by launching a surprise attack on a deep Russian air base using around 100 drones.

Walmart, the world's top-grossing retailer, announced on June 5 (local time) that it would greatly expand its US drone delivery service to a total of 100 stores, including five major cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, and Houston. Large drones from Wing, a Google-affiliated company, will handle the deliveries. In terms of service area alone, this is more than five times the previous coverage, making it the largest in the world.

Millions of households within a radius of about 9.6 km from the stores can order products via Wing's dedicated app and receive drone delivery within 30 minutes. Walmart stores display more than 150,000 items, and over half of these can be delivered by drone. Walmart and Wing also plan to expand drone delivery across the United States. If this happens, more than 4,600 Walmart brick-and-mortar stores could be reborn as logistics hubs.

Meanwhile, "drones of fear" are also at work. On June 1 (local time), Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on five deep Russian air bases through what it called the "Spider Web Operation." The Security Service of Ukraine secretly brought drone parts into Russia and assembled them at covert local bases. The completed drones were hidden in wooden container trucks and transported near the air bases. Then, 117 drones were launched simultaneously by remote control, destroying or damaging around 40 Russian military aircraft, including strategic bombers.

Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons were effectively left defenseless and exposed to enemy attack. Ukraine claims that this strike damaged 34% of Russia's strategic bombers, with damages amounting to approximately 10 trillion won.

We cannot simply stand by and watch the growing role of both civilian and military drones. We are a nation deeply committed to delivery, yet surrounded on all sides by powerful neighbors. We must fully utilize the advantages of drones, which offer "low cost and high efficiency." With drones, a delivery fee that used to be 3,000 won can be cut in half. Experts predict that, as drone delivery becomes more widespread, the current delivery fee could drop to one-tenth of its present level. The same logic applies to the military. If a drone costing a few million won can take out a bomber worth several billion won, even neighboring military powers will think twice before underestimating us.

Moreover, when combined with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving, and real-time video transmission, the potential of drones grows even greater. We look forward to the day when K-drone infrastructure, created through ingenuity and creativity, captures the world's attention. Of course, preparations to address national security issues arising from the proliferation of drones, such as the threat of terrorism, must also be pursued in parallel.