Unmanned ground surveillance sensors are being developed by Hanwha Thales for South Korean troops to monitor North Korean forces in the Demilitarized Zone.

A contract for the signed on Tuesday by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and is worth $3.1 million.

The Korea Herald newspaper reports the sensors will be placed in unmanned corners along the southern side of the DMZ to detect any infiltration attempts and inform local military leadership of them.

"By next year, the exploratory development will be complete, while the system development will be carried out by 2019 before being deployed to the Army and the Marine Corps.," an unidentified DAPA official was quoted.

"The unmanned ground surveillance sensors will be able to detect infiltration by the enemy in an early stage and destroy them so we can cripple any disruption attempts behind the line."

Earlier this month the South Korean agency said it had decided to back development of unmanned aerial vehicles to aid in DMZ security.