South Korea is considering deploying advanced, unmanned spy aircraft along the northern limit line, a de facto western maritime border separating the two Koreas.

A military source said Tuesday the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently instructed related military units to consider the prospect of deploying the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to monitor North Korean navy forces in the area.

The consideration came ahead of the May-June crab-catching season in the Yellow Sea, which has been a source of armed conflict between the two Koreas before.

The source said the unmanned spy planes patrolling the 20-30 kilometer aerial reconnaissance area will be able to analyze the size of North Korean vessels, determine whether or not they are armed, and count the number of passengers on board. With such information, the planes will be able to determine in advance whether the Northern ships have hostile intentions and initiate a swift response to the situation.