- The ICAO Council adopted another decision confirming the illegality of the DPRK's GPS interference activities following last year's decision -

1. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council adopted a decision on GPS interference activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) during its 234th session held in Montreal, Canada, from March 10 to April 4. In the decision, the Council expressed its grave concern over the DPRK's GPS radio frequency interference (RFI) activities and urged it to ensure that similar occurrences do not recur. Additionally, the Council decided to notify the DPRK of this decision in a letter issued by the President of the Council.

2. As it did during its 232nd session last year, the ICAO Council once again explicitly identified the DPRK as the origin of GPS RFI signals, delivering a stern warning to the DPRK. In the newly adopted decision, the ICAO Council reaffirmed its serious concerns over GPS RFI which went against the principles of the Chicago Convention and its annexes; expressed grave concern regarding the GPS RFI signals  from the DPRK; strongly urged the DPRK to strictly comply with the previous Council decisions and the Chicago Convention; called on the DPRK to prevent any recurrence; and requested that the President of the Council send a letter to the DPRK to communicate the Council's decision.

3. The government of the Republic of Korea formally raised this issue with the ICAO Council as the DPRK's GPS RFI activities affected approximately 4,400 civil aircraft from more than 20 countries and regions from October 2, 2024, to February 14, 2025. The ROK government emphasized that, despite the Council decision in June 2024, ― which, for the first time, directly named the DPRK as the origin of GPS interference signals and called for preventive measures ― the DPRK committed even more severe and prolonged GPS RFI activities posing an escalating threat to international civil aviation safety. On that note, the ROK government expressed its grave concern and called for a stronger response from ICAO.

4. Through its Permanent Mission to ICAO, the ROK government actively explained its position to numerous Council members. Additionally, it dispatched experts form the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Electronics and Telecommucications Research Institute (ETRI) to provide scientific and objective explanations of the investigation results to the Council.

5. This latest ICAO Council decision is viewed not only as a strong and unequivocal warning to the DPRK over its repeated GPS RFI activities but also as a reflection of the international community's shared recognition of the risks posed by the DPRK's action to international civil aviation safety and its unified commitment to responding to these risks.

6. The ROK government will continue to closely monitor the DPRK's provocative actions such as GPS RFI, and work in close cooperation with the international community to ensure firm and coordinated responses to those actions.