A U.S. soldier from Arizona, who had been in the Army less than a year, was found dead outside Camp Jackson in South Korea.

The solider, identified as Spc. Michael William Corey, was an intelligence analyst, CNN reported. He was found dead by Korean citizens “near the edge” of the base.

Michael was from Arizona and based in Japan, and was in South Korea for training. The military said he died during land navigation exercises, but the cause is currently unknown.

The Camp is north of Seoul, South Korea. Corey was stationed with the 441st Military Intelligence Battalion outside Tokyo.

He was participating in a “Warrior Leader’s course,” of which land navigation is a part, and is meant to turn a soldier into a “battle-competent” junior officer, UPI added.

The course also includes a fitness test, drills, leadership, and exams. Such exercises are routinely held for non-commissioned officers, as well as for English-speaking citizens of South Korea who are part of “KATUSA” (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army), the Independent added.

The circumstances that led to the young man’s death are currently under investigation, and as such, there are few details available.

His death, however, comes as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has spread through the country, leaving 23 people dead and sending 6,700 into quarantine. MERS was first seen in 2012, but this outbreak has been the biggest since it first appeared, Fox News added.

Officials believe the outbreak has peaked and may soon be over. However, this news comes as a U.S. soldier and the relative of another were placed in isolation as a precaution — he was stationed at Seoul Air Base, which is separated from Jackson by the city.

The patients are said to be “asymptomatic and not contagious.”

[Photo Courtesy John Moore / Getty Images]