South Korea accuses North of GPS signal ‘jamming attack’

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Saturday claimed that Pyongyang had ordered the military to stage the GPS interference on Friday and Saturday, affecting South Korea’s marine and aviation operations.

It came after South Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile into the sea on Friday.

“North Korea should immediately halt the GPS provocation,” the JCS said, warning vessels and civilian aircraft operating in the Yellow Sea to be aware of cyber attacks.

According to the JCS, the jamming attacks were conducted in the North’s Haeju and Kaesong areas.

Military operations and equipment were not affected, it said, warning that Pyongyang will be held accountable for its actions.

South Korea’s military said the latest move came three days after Seoul detected a similar movement.

The attacks this week, however, involved a weaker signal compared with the multiple attacks the North conducted near the northwestern border areas between May 29 and June 2, according to a JCS official.

Seoul’s presidential office claimed on Friday that pro-Russian hacking groups were launching increased cyber attacks against South Korea following North Korea’s troop dispatch to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine.

Seoul raised the alleged GPS jamming attacks with three relevant international agencies – the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – requesting due measures to be taken by the international bodies against such interferences.

North Korea has officially declared its southern neighbor as “a hostile state” in the nation’s recently revised constitutional law.

According to the KCNA, citing a spokesman from the Ministry of Defense, Pyongyang aims to “permanently fortify” its borders against threats of invasion posed by Southern forces backed by the United States and its regional allies.

MNA/