North Korea is developing a new precision-guided bomb, similar to the U.S.' GPS-guided joint direct attack munitions or JDAMs, the military here believes.

"We expect that the North will finish development of a new precision-guided bomb in the near future because we've detected signs that the North has been conducting tests for a few years now," a military source here said.

Military authorities say they detected signs of a fighter jet dropping the new bomb over a testing ground in North Korea's Hwanghae Province this year.

The JDAM is a GPS-guided bomb with a range of 28 km and alleged accuracy of about 13 m. The North's new bomb is believed to have a range of some 10 km.

It is believed to be guided by t he Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the Russian version of GPS, the source added.

If the North succeeds in developing the new bomb, it could pose a greater threat to South Korea.

The South Korean Air Force has a variety of precision bombs, including a home-grown device with a range of some 100 km.

