South Korea—boasting cutting-edge digital technology, efficient computer networks, and the world’s top high-speed Internet penetration rate—has earned global renown as a “strong Internet nation.” Behind these impressive feats, however, lies an unpleasant reality: its vulnerability to cyber threats, particularly to those allegedly originating from North Korea. Beginning with a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks in July 7, 2009, North Korean hackers have repeatedly infiltrated and paralyzed South Korean government, finance, and critical infrastructure websites. Recently, a more sophisticated approach has increased rapidly and effectively; a particularly worrisome change has been the rise of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs).
While it is widely known that North Korea has capitalized on some 6,000 cyber warriors to exploit South Korean network systems, a growing concern addresses the likelihood of these online incidents being coupled with offline offenses, especially in the form of nuclear attack. Those concerns grew markedly in December 2014, when perpetrators, allegedly linked to North Korea ,threatened to leak information regarding nuclear power plants unless the South Korean government shut down the reactors operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP).
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