Seoul’s military said North Korea carried out GPS jamming attacks on Friday and Saturday in an operation that affected several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft in South Korea.

The jamming allegations come nearly a week after the North tested what it said was its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel ICBM missile; it was the first such launch since Russia was accused of sending troops to help Ukraine fight.

The South fired its own ballistic missile into the sea on Friday in a show of force aimed at showing its determination to respond to “any provocation by North Korea.”

“North Korea carried out GPS jamming provocations in Haeju and Kaesong yesterday and today,” Seoul’s chiefs of staff said in a statement on Saturday, adding that several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft experienced “some operational disruptions.”

The army warned ships and aircraft operating in the Yellow Sea to be careful against such attacks.

“We strongly urge North Korea to immediately end its GPS provocations and warn that it will be held responsible for any problems that may arise from now on,” the statement said.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years after the North launched a ballistic missile in violation of UN sanctions.

It has also been bombarding the South with garbage-carrying balloons since May in retaliation for anti-Pyongyang propaganda letters sent to the North by activists.

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South Korea’s military said Pyongyang also tried to jam GPS signals in May, but that did not prevent any military operations in the South.

During Friday’s exercise, South Korea launched a Hyunmoo surface-to-surface short-range missile into the West Sea; The military said this showed Seoul’s “strong determination to respond decisively” to North Korean threats.

Hyunmoo missiles are key to the country’s so-called ‘Kill Chain’ preemptive strike system, which allows Seoul to launch an attack if there are signs of a North Korean attack.

– ‘Real risk’ –

Experts say such jamming attacks could lead to other incidents that could escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula.

“It remains unclear whether there is an intention to divert world attention from the troop deployment, create psychological distrust among residents in the South, or respond to Friday’s drills,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. he told AFP.

“But GPS jamming attacks pose a real risk of serious incidents, including potential plane crashes in a worst-case scenario.”

Ahn Chan-il, a researcher-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP that the North’s intervention could be “to protect its own communications and intelligence exchanges during critical military operations” both at home and abroad.

North Korea has become one of the most vocal and prominent supporters of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.

Seoul and the West have long accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with artillery shells and missiles for use in Ukraine.

The latest accusations, based on intelligence reports, show the North has deployed nearly 10,000 troops to Russia, suggesting an even deeper involvement in the conflict and triggering reactions in Seoul, Kiev and Western capitals.

Washington’s security ally Seoul said last month that the presence of North Korean troops in Europe would be a major tension.

South Korea, a major arms exporter, has a long-standing policy of not supplying arms to countries in conflict.

But President Yoon Suk Yeol said this week that Seoul was no longer ruling out the possibility of directly supplying arms to Ukraine, given Pyongyang’s military support for Moscow.

On Friday, the Seoul presidential office said cyber attacks by pro-Russian hacking groups against South Korea increased after North Korea sent troops to fight Russia’s war in Ukraine.