Tensions between the two states on the Korean peninsula have escalated as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has shown off his developing nuclear and missile programs and engaged in electronic and psychological warfare, including flying thousands of balloons that drop garbage and propaganda leaflets against South Korea.

The South Korean Army General Staff stated that the North Korean operations to jam GPS signals were detected around the western border city of Kaesong and the nearby city of Haeju on Friday and Saturday and said that the activities disrupted dozens of civilian aircraft and several ships.

While it warned aircraft and ships near western border areas, South Korea’s military did not specify how North Korea was interfering with GPS signals nor did it detail the extent of the disruptions.

North Korea’s GPS signal disruptions and balloon campaigns highlight the vulnerability of South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, its main transportation gateway, analyst Sukjoon Yoon wrote recently on the North Korea-focused website 38 North.

The airport, which handles 56 million people and 3.6 million tons of goods annually, is less than 62 miles from North Korea.

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No major aviation incidents have occurred to date, but GPS interference can endanger commercial airlines flying in poor visibility and is a violation of international conventions for the safety of navigation. In 2024, North Korean debris balloons shut down the airport runway 12 different times for a total of 265 minutes.

Kim has shown greater hostility this year to Seoul’s conservative government, which maintains a tough line on Pyongyang, with the North abandoning long-standing goals of reconciliation with its war-torn rival and rewriting its constitution to establish South Korea as a permanent rival.

North Korea also blew up sections of its disused road and rail links with the South in October in a symbolic show of anger toward Seoul and opened in November with a flight test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile to ratchet up pressure on Washington.

In addition to North Korea’s weapons displays and unconventional provocations, there is growing concern over the reported supply of military equipment and troops to Russia in support of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. 

South Korean officials say deepening military alignment between Moscow and Pyongyang could potentially lead to Russian technology transfers that increase the threat posed by Kim’s military nuclear program.

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