It is apparent that Pyongyang is following the steps of Beijing and Moscow in terms of psychological pressure. The internet domain is fast becoming the next battleground for Kim Jong-Un's regime.
The proliferation on the web of spiteful information against the south has been intended to undermine the Administration of current leader Park Geun-Hye. It is no secret that the current government in Seoul bitterly disagrees with Pyongyang on a lot of issues.
The Korean Herald shares that hackers from the north are not only penetrating government online terminals. The infrastructure systems of South Korea's private organizations are also being breached.
With the presidential elections coming up next year, concerns are aimed at Kim Jong-Un's probable plan to manipulate the vote processing. It is highly likely that the North Korea will ramp up its cyber program to sow disinformation on its neighbor's information network.
According to one government official from the South, the General Bureau of Reconnaissance has employed an online reply team that will monitor data activities inside Seoul. Aside from tainting the image of Park Geun-Hye, the campaign will portray North Korea in a positive light.
Among the malicious information that surfaced lately is the case of 13 North Korean restaurant personnel who defected in April. Pyongyang has been ramping up that these workers had been kidnapped by intelligence agents from the other side.
Supporting this claim is the news that the male restaurant manager and his 12 female staffs went on a hunger strike to voice out their displeasure over the incident.
It is believed that Kim Jong-Un employed around 10,000 regular hackers over the years. Operations in the past may have successfully infringed targets in the south. Back in 2013, three South Korean TV networks and a major banking institution have been infiltrated.
While a lot of reports about Pyongyang's cyber activities have circulated, the dictatorial regime has vehemently denied of such involvements. Among the circumstances being scrutinized is the hacking attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014 where numerous confidential information were stolen.
Research shows that web infiltrators start mastering their craft at an early age and are subjected to years of elite military training in specialized North Korean institutions.
