Did North Korean GPS jammers force a U.S. plane to land?

GlobalPost

The U.S. is denying reports that North Korea successfully forced an American recon plane's emergency landing during March war games with South Korea, according to Reuters.

A widely read South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, was among the first to publish details of the alleged emergency landing, which purportedly happened during March military drills.

According to the paper, North Korean forces used a GPS jamming device to disrupt an American spy plane, the low-flying RC-7B "Crazy Hawk," soon after it took flight from South Korea. It was forced to land 45 minutes after takeoff. The GPS jamming also affected South Korean Navy vessels and civilian planes in the area, Chosun Ilbo reported.

So who's lying here? American defense officials or the South Korean press?

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper's source is well placed: a report from South Korea's defense ministry to Seoul lawmakers.

Another outlet, Yonhap, reported previously that North Korea has been busy purchasing and upgrading old Soviet jammers.

And it seems Wired's handy Danger Room blog, a favorite of defense industry geeks, reported scant details of the jamming back in March. Retaliation for U.S.-South Korea war games basically entailed a "a half-assed campaign of jamming and overloading web servers" instead of the all-out war North Korea promised.

The Pentagon's denial via Reuters?

An anonymous source.

Will you support The World today?

The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!