GPS jamming incident in South Korea

On August 23, 2010, North Korea executed a coordinated GPS jamming attack targeting South Korea, disrupting critical navigation and communication infrastructure. The attack affected 181 cellular towers, causing widespread mobile network outages, 15 commercial airplanes (forcing reroutes or delays due to unreliable GPS signals), and one South Korean battleship, compromising its navigational and operational capabilities. The disruptions were concentrated in key regions: Kaesong (near the DMZ), Gimpo (near Seoul’s international airport), and Paju (a strategic military area). The attack persisted for four days, exposing vulnerabilities in South Korea’s defense and civilian GPS-dependent systems.The incident prompted urgent countermeasures, including the development of anti-jam programs to mitigate future threats. While no direct casualties or permanent damage were reported, the attack demonstrated North Korea’s ability to disrupt military readiness, aviation safety, and public telecommunications a tactic with potential escalatory implications. The targeting of a battleship and air traffic suggested a deliberate attempt to test South Korea’s cyber-electronic warfare defenses, raising concerns over regional stability and the weaponization of GPS spoofing/jamming in asymmetric conflicts.

Source: https://www.unoosa.org/pdf/icg/2013/wgB-subgroup/5.pdf

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/korea-communications-agency-kca-

"id": "kor555092125",
"linkid": "korea-communications-agency-kca-",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "8/2010",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "8",
"explanation": "Attack that could bring to a war"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Defense/Telecommunications/Transportation',
                        'location': 'South Korea (Kaesong, Gimpo, Paju)',
                        'name': 'South Korean Government (Military and '
                                'Civilian Infrastructure)',
                        'type': 'Government'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Electronic warfare (GPS jamming)',
 'date_detected': '2010-08-23',
 'description': 'On August 23, 2010, GPS disruptions caused by North Korea '
                'occurred in South Korea, affecting 181 cell towers, 15 '
                'airplanes, and one battleship. The disruptions took place in '
                'Kaesong, Gimpo, and Paju and lasted for four days. Anti-jam '
                'programs were developed in response to counter the attack.',
 'impact': {'downtime': '4 days',
            'operational_impact': 'Disruption of GPS-dependent navigation and '
                                  'communication systems (military and '
                                  'civilian)',
            'systems_affected': [{'count': 181,
                                  'location': ['Kaesong', 'Gimpo', 'Paju'],
                                  'type': 'cell towers'},
                                 {'count': 15,
                                  'location': ['Kaesong', 'Gimpo', 'Paju'],
                                  'type': 'airplanes'},
                                 {'count': 1,
                                  'location': ['Kaesong', 'Gimpo', 'Paju'],
                                  'type': 'battleship'}]},
 'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': ['GPS-dependent military and '
                                                  'civilian infrastructure']},
 'motivation': 'Geopolitical (disruption of military and civilian '
               'infrastructure)',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': 'Development and deployment '
                                                  'of anti-jam technologies',
                            'root_causes': 'State-sponsored GPS jamming attack '
                                           'targeting critical infrastructure'},
 'response': {'remediation_measures': 'Development of anti-jam programs'},
 'threat_actor': 'North Korea (suspected state-sponsored)',
 'title': '2010 GPS Disruptions in South Korea Attributed to North Korea',
 'type': 'GPS jamming/signal disruption'}