Seoul's Makeshift Answer to N.Korean Jamming Attacks

The government has vowed to come up with solutions after North Korea jammed of South Korean GPS signals in August 2010 and March this year, but the only steps it has come up with so far is to wrap the antennae in household tin foil.

According to data obtained by ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Cheol-woo from the Korea Communications Commission and mobile providers, they simply wrapped scores of GPS antennae used in their services northwest of Seoul in tin foil.

Some antennae on top of buildings were moved down lower or behind buildings. Others were simply tilted to face the ground. But experts say while these makeshift methods were able to avoid North Korean jamming signals, they may also have hindered normal GPS signals, cutting off phone calls or leading to errors in locating a user's position.

The North jammed South Korean GPS signals during joint U.S.-South Korean military drills. The South lacks the technology to single out the jamming signals and block them, so any attempt to do so would currently only lead to the blocking of commercial signals as well, experts said.