Suspected N. Korean drone crashes with images of US missile sites: report

A suspected North Korean drone crashed near the demilitarized zone after capturing images of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, The Associated Press reported.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry announced the discovery on Tuesday, according to the AP. The drone, which was found near a South Korean border town last week, had several hundred stored images, the news service reported, citing to a South Korean Defense Ministry official.

Ten of these photos reportedly showed U.S. missile launchers and a radar system in the town of Seongju, which were installed earlier this year as part of a deal with former South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Under the deal, the U.S. installed several Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system components to counter the perceived nuclear threat from North Korea.

{mosads}North Korea has decried the missile system as an aggressive move by the U.S. to build up its military forces in the region.

The drone is currently being analyzed to determine if it had sent to North Korea before it ran out of fuel and crashed, the AP reported.

The development comes amid heightened tensions in the region.

Pyongyang last Friday announced the test launch of a new type of cruise missile capable of striking U.S. and South Korean warships “at will,” according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. The missile flew 124 miles before falling into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.