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Pyongyang’s GPS disruptions continue for 5th day

April 4, 2016
gps1 Workers of a South Korean telecom company examine equipment used to guard against GPS disruptions by North Korea.

gps1
Workers of a South Korean telecom company examine equipment used to guard against GPS disruptions by North Korea.

SEOUL, (Yonhap) — South Korea’s ICT ministry said North Korea’s disruptions of GPS signals, which started last week, continued to affect local airplanes and ships on Monday.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said the GPS disruptions that began Thursday have been repeating at intervals ever since, impacting Seoul’s adjacent city of Incheon, and the surrounding Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces.

The ministry said 746 airplanes and 621 vessels experienced disruptions, but no significant damage has been reported so far. The disruptions can cause mobile phones to malfunction, and affect planes and ships that rely on GPS for navigation.

Seoul’s defense ministry earlier said that the North’s actions are aimed at raising tensions on the divided peninsula amid mounting international pressure on the North to give up its nuclear weapons programs.

The defense ministry added that there has been no reported negative impact on the South Korean military due to the North’s GPS-jamming provocations. It warned that it will make North Korea pay a “due” price if Pyongyang does not cease its actions.