1. Concerning North Korea’s GPS jamming, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) decided on July 5 under the full support of all Council members to take the following measures: expressing deep concern over the possible recurrence of North Korea’s GPS jamming; urging North Korea to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents; conducting a joint research by the ICAO Secretariat and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on the effect of GPS jamming on international civil aviation; having further consultations at the 12th Air Navigation Conference in November; and notifying 191 ICAO member countries of the decisions made at the latest ICAO Council meeting.

o Prior to the aforementioned decisions, ICAO requested North Korea on May 18 to take necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of GPS jamming through a letter from the President of the ICAO Council.

2. The decisions by the ICAO Council, which handles the safety of international civil aviation, are seen as sending North Korea a stern and united message of the international community that GPS jamming, which threatens civil aviation safety, is not acceptable.

o They are also seen as contributing to bringing international attention to the threat posed by GPS jamming to international civil aviation, and to creating international consensus on the need to prevent its recurrence.

3. The ROK government has stressed that the international community needs to respond in unison to North Korea’s GPS jamming, which poses a threat to the safety of international civil aviation. As a result, all members of the ICAO Council expressed full support for the above decisions.

o The ROK government’s submission of a working paper to ICAO on the effect of GPS jamming on international civil aviation helped the issue become an official agenda for the latest meeting of the ICAO Council.

o Before the ICAO Council meeting, on June 15, the ROK government also briefed representatives from ICAO member countries and the ICAO Secretariat on the source of GPS jamming signals, which helped ICAO make an objective judgment based on facts.

4. If an incident which threatens international civil aviation, such as North Korea’s GPS jamming, occurs, the ROK government will respond firmly and actively in close coordination and consultation with relevant government agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, and the Korea Communications Commission. 


                   Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation