01 April, 2016
North Korea has jammed GPS signals in South Korea and launched another missile into the Sea of Japan.
The action came a day after U.S. President Barack Obama met with leaders of South Korea, Japan and China to discuss North Korean nuclear threat and its sanctions.
Jamming GPS signals in South Korea
The South Korean Defense Ministry said it has detected radio waves transmitted from the city of Haeju and Mount Kumgang. The radio waves are on the same frequencies used by the global positioning satellites, or GPS.
The jamming activity affected more than 50 airliners and hundreds of South Korean fishing boats.
South Korean officials called the North's action "dangerous and reckless." But they said the jamming did not affect the U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises, which North Korea has denounced.
Separately, North Korea announced officially Friday that it is blocking web pages from YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, the Voice of America and a number of South Korean media sites. It also said gambling and "sex and adult websites" have been blocked.
Very few North Koreans have Internet access, but foreign residents and visitors have been able to access web pages previously.
North Korea added that anyone who tries to access the blocked websites will be punished under North Korean law. It did not say what the punishment would be.
Another missile launch
South Korean military officials said the North also launched another missile into the Sea of Japan on Friday. The launch is the latest in a series of threatening actions to protest the U.S.-South Korean exercises.
In early March, the Kim Jong Un government responded to the U.N. sanctions by launching several missiles into the sea and threatening nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States.
I'm Dorothy Gundy.
Brian Padden, Youmi Kim and the AP reported this story from Seoul, South Korea. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.
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Words in This Story
jam – v. to block a radio or broadcast signal
frequencies – n. the number times that sound wave or radio wave is repeated
access – n. a way of getting something