"North Korea Acquires New Russian Jamming Weapon," Raising Concerns over West Sea Threat

[Anchor]

The commander of U.S. Forces Korea has stated that North Korea has acquired electronic jamming equipment from Russia. Expressing concern over the additional acquisition, he noted that North Korea's existing equipment alone is already causing disruptions for vessels and aircraft in the West Sea.

Defense correspondent Kim Tae-hoon reports.

[Reporter]

During a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington on Tuesday night (October 13), Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, specifically singled out jammers—electronic jamming equipment—among North Korea's weapons as a threat to watch closely.

[Gen. Xavier Brunson / Commander, U.S. Forces Korea: "It has been widely reported that jamming is currently occurring in the West Sea and across the Korean Peninsula."]

In particular, he disclosed for the first time that North Korea acquired new Russian jammers in the wake of its participation in the Russia-Ukraine war.

[Gen. Xavier Brunson / Commander, U.S. Forces Korea: "North Korea did not have these jammers before. They were handed over from the Russian side."]

A "jammer" is a device that emits powerful radio interference signals to disrupt GPS and radar operations.

North Korea's existing jammers have an effective range of around 100 kilometers, frequently causing ships and aircraft operating in the West Sea to deviate from their routes.

The problem is that the performance of the new Russian jammers is almost certain to surpass North Korea's existing equipment.

Commander Brunson expressed conviction that North Korea will crank the power to the maximum.

[Gen. Xavier Brunson / Commander, U.S. Forces Korea: "North Korea will crank the power to the maximum. When that happens, it creates an impediment to our activities within that operational area, including the territorial waters of the Republic of Korea."]

Regarding the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), Commander Brunson reaffirmed his existing position that he "fully supports a conditions-based OPCON transition," while signaling an intention to strictly assess whether South Korean forces fulfill those conditions.

By stating that he would "explain the risks of transitioning OPCON when conditions are not fully met," his remarks are also interpreted as indicating that he will not be bound by the South Korean government's target transition year.

(Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video editing by Jeong Seong-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.