South Korean Police Seek to Equip all Cell Phones with GPS

South Korean police are pushing a controversial plan to have all new mobile phones equipped with a chip that can locate the user through satellite-based positioning technology, the Chosun Ilbo reported on Thursday.

According to Song Kang-ho, chief of the investigation bureau of the National Police Agency, the government had already submitted a related bill to the National Assembly. The new proposal is submitted in a bid to combat the increasing incidence of kidnapping and other crimes against women and children, the police said.

The measure will risk infringing on the privacy of mobile users and raise the prices of cell phones, the Chosun Ilbo said. In addition, the system does not work well indoors, where satellite signals are blocked. Some 20 percent of mobile phones in the country are currently equipped with a GPS device.