Seoul accuses Pyongyang of disrupting GPS system signal

South Korea's ICT ministry said Friday the latest disruption of the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal, conducted by Pyongyang, has affected 110 planes and ships. 


The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said the disruption affected 58 airplanes and 52 vessels in South Korea, although no significant damage has been reported so far. 


On Thursday, the ministry issued the GPS disruption warning in Seoul, the adjacent city of Incheon, and the surrounding Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces as North Korea discharged a large amount of radio waves to jam GPS signals in the region. 


The disruptions can cause mobile phones to malfunction and affect planes and ships that rely on GPS for navigation. Two planes reported jamming, but no disruption to their flights, officials said on Thursday. 


No damage has been reported in the military or among civilians as of yet. 


"While the influx of disruption waves is irregular, they resumed as of 9:30 a.m. Friday," a ministry official said. 


Pyongyang has used a stronger signal since Thursday, although such moves began earlier in March. 


The ministry, however, said as the border regions are mountainous, it is unlikely that the waves will reach a wide scope of areas in South Korea

Source: NNA