SEOUL, March 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to have the international community punish North Korea for its recent attempt to block the South's military communications by sending jamming signals across the border, officials said Tuesday.

   The South said earlier that it confirmed the North was responsible for the interruption of navigational devices using the Global Positioning System (GPS) last Friday when South Korea and the United States were holding a joint military exercise in northwestern areas. The North's actions caused only minor inconvenience, officials said.

   But they said the North should not go unpunished for the sabotage, with a senior presidential official hinting at the possibility of seeking sanctions against the communist nation.

   A charter of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) bans a country from doing damage to electric waves of other nations. Both South and North Korea are members of the ITU.

   The foreign ministry already sent a letter of inquiry to a United Nations agency in charge of information and communication technologies, the presidential official said on condition of anonymity.

   "After a legal review, we determined that the North's act of jamming our GPS (signals) constitutes a violation of the ITU charter that bans harmful interference," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae said. "This constitutes an illegal act under international law."

   Under international law, South Korea can demand the North stop such an act and make compensation for any damage incurred, he said, adding that the government is studying what steps to take against the North.

   lcd@yna.co.kr
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