South Korea says North boasts 6,000-member cyber army
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber army, South Korea said Tuesday, dedicated to disrupting the South’s military and government — a dramatic increase from an earlier estimate of 3,000 such specialists.
Without elaborating, Seoul’s Defence Ministry also said in a report that North Korea may also have gained the ability to strike the U.S. mainland because of its progress in missile technology demonstrated in recent long-range missile tests. It also said North Korea is advancing in efforts to miniaturize nuclear warheads to mount on such missiles.
There is considerable mystery, and outside debate, about the state of North Korea’s opaque nuclear and missile programs, which it has persisted in pursuing for decades despite widespread domestic poverty and heavy international sanctions and criticism.
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, the most recent in early 2013, and experts believe it has a handful of crude nuclear bombs. Many outside observers speculate that it has not mastered the technology to make the bombs small enough to put on long-range missiles, although some say it may be able to arm shorter-range missiles with warheads.
North Korea has conducted several long-range rocket tests, which are seen as covers for banned tests meant to develop missiles that could hit mainland American shores. North Korea says its launches are meant to put peaceful satellites into orbit, and that its nuclear program is crucial to protecting itself from U.S. hostility.
The South Korean Defence Ministry report said North Korea’s 6,000 cyber warriors are dedicated to “paralyzing the South psychologically and materially” and have been conducting cyberattacks to disrupt the South’s military operations and main government systems. It didn’t describe how it made its assessments.