The South Korean Army has reported that North Korea has been interfering with its global positioning systems (GPS) since Friday (8), impacting the navigation of several vessels and the flight of dozens of civilian aircraft.
According to a statement from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the interference is coming from the North Korean cities of Haeju and Kaesong, located near the border, and is causing “operational disruptions” to air and sea traffic.
The military has asked South Korean ships and aircraft operating in the Yellow Sea to be alert to the attacks, which began on Friday and continue on Saturday (9).
“We strongly urge North Korea to immediately stop its GPS provocations and warn that we will hold it accountable for any resulting problems,” he added.
The incident comes after days of displays of force by both countries, which have been at odds since the Korean War of the 1950s, which led to the current division of the northeast Asian peninsula.
North Korea has fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile and several short-range projectiles.
Its southern neighbor launched a short-range ballistic missile on Friday to demonstrate its “strong determination to respond firmly to any North Korean provocation.”
Already tense relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have been further strained by the strengthening alliance between Russia and North Korea, as well as the signing of a mutual defense treaty between the two countries.
Pyongyang had already tried to jam GPS signals in May, according to the South Korean military, but the move did not affect the South’s military operations.
Experts warn that such actions could lead to more serious incidents, exacerbating tensions on the peninsula.
“GPS jamming attacks pose a real risk of serious incidents, including possible plane crashes in the worst case,” Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
