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GPS tracking systems all over South Korea were temporarily made useless on Monday, March 7, 2011, when an unknown source disrupted the satellite signals. The interference came from a location in North Korea, but the exact cause remains unclear. This is not the first time an incident like this has taken place. Last August, a similar GPS signal disruption was traced back to North Korea.

Both of these incidents of GPS tracking system interruption occurred while U.S. military exercises were taking place. North Korea believes these exercises to be part of a preparation for invasion and some sources think that North Korea disrupted the GPS signals as a defensive tactic.

According to Yonhap news agency, the South Korean defense department confirms that the signal interference did have some effect on their military artillery units. The U.S. military command, however, did not confirm whether the signal jamming interrupted their equipment or exercise.

The GPS tracking systems were only one part of a multifaceted assault on South Korea’s information systems. On Friday and Saturday, March 4th and 5th, 2011, a massive internet virus was unleashed in South Korea. Most experts agree that North Korea was the obvious culprit, but Park Kun-Woo, a prominent security software developer in South Korea, says there is no clear evidence that Pyongyang was responsible for the attack.

Despite the lack of evidence, it appears that the virus and the GPS signal interference were defensive moves by North Korea, triggered by U.S. military drills in the area.

The exact source of the virus is nearly impossible to trace. The attacks were routed through servers around the world including Hong Kong, India, Brazil, Iran, Israel, Thailand, Taiwan, Russia and Japan. A similar attack, lasting five days back in 2009, was traced back to an internet protocol address in China, which is used by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of North Korea.

Article Written by Marisa O’Connor