North Korea’s GPS jamming was responsible for a South Korean military surveillance drone’s crash in November last year, according to local media reports Friday, an incident that one expert told NK News signals Pyongyang has made significant strides in its electronic warfare technology.

However Seoul’s defense ministry insisted the drones are operating normally and reconnaissance capabilities remain “unaffected.”

The military’s Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in Yangju, north of Seoul, on Nov. 2, 2024, South Korean media reported Friday, citing military sources, just days after North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test ahead of the U.S. presidential election.