Exclusive North GPS disturbance accumulated 7,000 cases ↑... "Direct terrorist acts"

[Anchor]
Amid North Korea's recent increase in GPS disturbance provocations, the cumulative number of disruptions to ships and aircraft has been confirmed by YTN reports.

In particular, nearly 2,000 radio disturbances have been concentrated this year alone, and there is no clear means to prevent them, raising concerns about damage not only to the military but also to the private sector.

Reporter Lim Sung-jae's exclusive report.

[Reporter]
At the end of May, a ship in Baengnyeong-do Island, the international merchant communication network, which is a means of communication for ships, was paralyzed, and the location on the navigation terminal points north.

It malfunctioned in North Korea's satellite navigation system and GPS radio disturbance.

Disruption can continue, such as the suspension of fishermen's operations or the delay of aircraft, and such GPS disturbance provocations were mainly concentrated when inter-Korean relations were strained.

Examples include three years from 2010 when the Cheonan was shot down and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling war, 2016 when North Korea conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests and raised the level of provocations, and recently.

During this period, the number of disruptions caused by North Korea's GPS jamming attacks was estimated to be 7,200.

By type, 2,948 aircraft, 2,230 base stations, and 2,137 ships were surveyed.

In particular, between March and November this year, when low-intensity provocations such as spraying filth balloons became commonplace, as many as 1,900 radio disturbances were counted.

There was a risk to 1,157 ships and 805 aircraft.

This is the largest since 2016 when GPS jamming attacks were concentrated.

The source was found to be Haeju-si, South Hwanghae Province, Yeonan-gun, Pyeonggang-gun, Gangwon-do, and Geumgangsan, Gangwon-do, covering the western to eastern end of the Military Demarcation Line.

[Jung Hee-yong / People's Power: North Korea's GPS wave disturbance violates international law and is a terrorist act that threatens the lives and safety of our people]

Although there are no cases that have led to casualties, we cannot rule out the possibility of ships and others falling into North Korean waters and the possibility of additional damage.

Moreover, as North Korea is concerned about full-fledged provocations by increasing the output intensity of GPS disturbances, many point out that rapid information sharing and response training of aviation and ships should be strengthened.

I'm YTN's Lim Sungjae.



Photographer: Lee Sung-mo Han Sang-won
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