eLoran in Korea – Current Status and Future Plans

Jiwon Seo¹ and Mincheol Kim², ¹Yonsei University, ²Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries
[ Link to govexec.com ]

Abstruct – After the annual GPS jamming attacks from North Korea started from August 2010, the South Korean government realized the importance of a complementary navigation and timing system. Among various options, a highpower terrestrial radio navigation system, eLoran, was considered as the most effective candidate. The South Korean government has recently completed design development and construction documents for the Korean eLoran system in February 2013. The current status and future plans of the Korean eLoran program are detailed in this paper based on the design development and construction documents. The purpose of the Korean eLoran system is to provide better than 20 m accuracy over the country. Eventually, the South Korean government hopes to expand eLoran coverage to the entire Northeast Asia in close collaboration with Russia and China. The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of the system is expected in 2016 and the Final operational Capability (FOC) is expected in 2018. The eLoran system will be procured through International Competitive Bidding (ICB). This is the first article presented at an international conference regarding the recent decision made by the Korean government.