A North Korean unmanned reconnaissance plane was found to have navigated near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) a number of times late last month when military tensions between the two Koreas were at their peak.
 
A military official said Wednesday that for two to three days around August 22 when high-level inter-Korean talks began, a North Korean drone flew around the DMZ several times before heading back to the North. 
 
In particular, in the afternoon of August 22, the North Korean vehicle is said to have crossed the military demarcation line into the South and flew above the South Korean military’s general outpost.
 
The South’s military deployed an attack helicopter and fighter jets after detecting the North Korean drone on low-altitude acquisition radar. However, it did not attempt to bring down the plane as it was unable to spot the aircraft with the naked eye.
 
Military authorities believe that the North sent the reconnaissance plane to check out the South Korean military's response readiness and had the drone withdrawn once the South’s military responded.