North Korean Drone Photographed U.S. THAAD Site

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A suspected North Korean drone had photographed a U.S. missile defense shield in South Korea before it crashed near the border where it was found last week, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The drone was found at a South Korean border town last Friday and South Korean investigators have since discovered hundreds of photos from its Sony-made in-built camera, a Defense Ministry official said, requesting anonymity because of department rules.

Ten of the photos were of U.S. missile launchers and a radar system installed in the southeastern town of Seongju earlier this year, while the rest show mostly residential areas, farming fields and other less-sensitive areas in the South, the official said.

Under a deal with Moon’s conservative predecessor, the United States deployed key components of the so-called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system last spring to cope with what it calls North Korea’s advancing nuclear threats. North Korea called the system a provocation that it says is aimed at bolstering U.S. military hegemony in the region. China also opposes the deployment because it worries THAAD’s powerful radar system can peer into its own territory.

Drones are a relatively new addition to North Korea’s arsenal. In 2014, several other suspected North Korean drones were found south of the border and experts said they were crude and low-tech but could be considered as a potential security threat.

South Korean officials said the drones found in 2014 likely conducted surveillance missions, saying they were also equipped with Japanese-made cameras that photographed South Korea’s presidential Blue House and other areas. Those drones were unable to transmit photos in real time, Seoul’s investigations concluded.

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