North Korea’s GPS Jamming Attacks Hit Hundreds Of South Korean Ships And Aircraft

According to Seoul’s military, North Korea has carried out GPS jamming attacks that disrupted the operations of several civilian ships and aircraft in South Korea or the West Sea or Yellow Sea region.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff even warned ships and aircraft to be vigilant about signal jamming attacks in Haeju and Kaesong on November 8 and 9.

GPS relies on a network of satellites and receivers for global positioning and navigation.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff called on North Korea to stop such interference and warned that North Korea will be held accountable for its actions.

This is not the first time North Korea has done something like this. From May 29 to June 2, 2024, hundreds of ships experienced GPS problems due to North Korean tactics and signal jamming, disrupting smooth operations.

Seoul complained to the United Nations aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization, demanding that North Korea immediately stop the attacks.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that the signal was weaker this time compared to May and June. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korean military equipment and operations were unaffected.

In recent months, the conflict between North Korea and South Korea has escalated due to Pyongyang’s missile tests, North Korea’s launch of balloons to dump garbage into South Korea, North Korea’s destruction of transportation infrastructure connecting the two countries, and North Korea’s decision to send troops to Ukraine alongside Russia.

GPS spoofing, which is sending signals to override legitimate GPS signals, increases the risk to South Korean airspace. GPS jamming attacks can cause serious accidents and casualties in the airspace and at sea.

In response, South Korea launched a short-range surface-to-surface missile into the West Sea to show its resolve to deal with the North Korean threat.