Important Takeaways:

• The purpose for the balloons’ GPS capabilities isn’t clear, but none of the possibilities are good news for South Korea.
• Among the balloons being sent across the border from North Korea to the South are examples carrying GPS transmitters, according to the Republic of Korea military. Waves of excrement and trash-filled balloons have been sent over South Korea since the summer, but the latest development suggests that the North is also using them for limited intelligence-gathering, perhaps in preparation for future contingencies, or to develop more balloon-based military capabilities. The announcement comes only days after Pyongyang accused the South of sending multiple waves of drones over the North Korean capital to drop propaganda leaflets, as you can read about here.
• South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says that GPS transmitters were found in some of the North Korean balloons. Although it’s unclear when exactly these balloons were sent, there have been no previous reports of them carrying such devices, since the current campaign began.
• A balloon of this kind cannot have its course altered based on returned GPS data, but the equipment could have other implications of varying degrees of impact.
• Tracking balloon movements over time would show North Korea the kinds of routes they are taking, how far they can travel, and at what speeds.
• By their nature, the balloons are very likely to be intact once they come down — provided they are not shot down — meaning that the signal can still be transmitted, at least until it descends below the receiving station’s horizon. Local cellular networks could also be leveraged for sporadic communication.
• However, if the balloons are brought down by South Korean air defenses, resulting in a sudden loss of connectivity, it’s the resulting data could also help to highlight potential strong and weak spots in the country’s defensive coverage.

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