North Korea conducted GPS jamming attacks on Friday, affecting the operations of several ships and airplanes in South Korea, Seoul’s military said on Saturday.
“North Korea conducted GPS jamming provocations in Haeju and Kaesong yesterday and today (November 8-9),” Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement Saturday, adding that several vessels and dozens of civilian aircraft were experiencing “some operational disruptions” as a result.
The allegations of the jamming attack come a week after North Korea test-fired what it described as its powerful solid-fuel ICBM missile.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have warned ships and airplanes operating in the West Sea area to stay careful of North Korea’s GPS signal jamming.
The JCS has urged North Korea to stop the GPS jamming provocation.
“We strongly urge North Korea to immediately cease its GPS provocations and warn that it will be held responsible for any subsequent issues arising from this,” they said.
Increasing hostilities between North and South
Tensions between North Korea and South Korea have reached new lows since North Korea began sending trash balloons into South Korea while also launching a series of ballistic missiles in a show of strength.
Aviation experts have expressed concerns over North Korea’s trash balloon campaign, missile launches and the emergence of GPS “spoofing” as it can risk the operations of flights and risk safety.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has grown more hostile towards South’s conservative government which remains critical of Pyongyang over its decision to abandon its long-standing goals of reconciliation with the South.
In addition to the increasing display of might through missile launches, there’s also a growing concern over North’s reported supply of military equipment and troops to Russia to support President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
mfi/kb (AP, AFP, Reuters)
