[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] North Korea's Hacking Skills Identified by US Cyber Command

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Paul Nakasone, Director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander of the U.S. Army Cyber Command, has identified North Korea as a cyber threat nation, noting that it has evolved to become more proactive and aggressive over the past decade, drawing attention.

In an article titled "The Laws of Competition in Cyberspace" published in the diplomatic journal Foreign Affairs, Commander Nakasone stated, "Military cyber operations are moving away from a defensive posture and increasingly engaging in combat with overseas adversaries online."

He also pointed to North Korea as a representative threat country. He criticized, "They violate sanctions by hacking international financial networks and cryptocurrency exchanges to generate income that can fund weapons development activities."

The North Korea highlighted by Commander Nakasone is known to have been systematically cultivating cyber personnel as a state policy since the late 1980s, including operating an electronic warfare training class at the Kim Il-jong Automation University (formerly Mirim University), a technical officer training institution. Particularly, with the establishment of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea's cyber warfare capabilities have dramatically strengthened.

In February 2009, North Korea integrated three agencies?the Reconnaissance Bureau under the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, the Operations Department under the Workers' Party, and Room 35?to form the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which oversees South Korea and overseas operations. At that time, the Electronic Reconnaissance Bureau's Cyber Warfare Guidance Bureau (Bureau 121) was also established under the Reconnaissance General Bureau. Bureau 121 is a cyber warfare unit responsible for infiltrating other countries' computer networks to hack confidential information and spread viruses, with an estimated personnel strength of about 3,000, according to South Korean authorities.

The Reconnaissance General Bureau is also reported to have established cyber warfare bases targeting South Korea in China's Heilongjiang, Shandong, Fujian, Liaoning provinces, and areas near Beijing. Although North Korea's cyber warfare capabilities centered on the Reconnaissance General Bureau have not been concretely confirmed, some defectors claim that North Korea is cultivating up to 30,000 electronic warfare special forces and that its cyber warfare capabilities rival those of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Last month, the European Union (EU), representing the governments of its 27 member states, imposed its first-ever cyber sanctions targeting the North Korean company Chosun Expo. Sanctioned entities face travel restrictions to the EU and asset freezes. Individuals and institutions within the EU are also prohibited from providing funds to those targeted by these sanctions. The United States, which has expressed concerns about potential cyberattacks from North Korea, China, and Russia and emphasized response capabilities, immediately welcomed the move under the name of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The EU Council pointed out that Chosun Expo may be linked to North Korea's representative hacking organizations, the Lazarus Group and APT 38. Cyberattacks associated with Chosun Expo include the WannaCry ransomware attack that struck the world in May 2017, cyberattacks on Poland's Financial Supervision Authority and Sony Pictures Entertainment, cyber theft from Bangladesh's central bank, and attempted cyber theft from Vietnam's Tien Phong Bank.

Meanwhile, amid severe foreign currency shortages caused by accumulated sanctions, there have been ongoing claims that North Korea is earning foreign currency through hacking. The United Nations (UN) estimated that North Korean hackers have stolen over $2 billion (approximately 2.4 trillion KRW) in foreign currency, with the funds reportedly used for missile development programs, as detailed in a report published last year. Cryptocurrency has been cited as a field North Korea has been focusing on in recent years. International security firms claim that North Korean hackers have infiltrated numerous cryptocurrency exchanges and stolen hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.