North Korea Continues Aggression Towards South Korea, Hacks President Aide

The South Korean president’s office has confirmed that North Korea hacked into the personal emails of an aide to President Yoon Suk Yeol in the lead-up to his state visit to the UK last November.

According to the president’s office, the breach occurred when a staff member used a personal email account for official work.

A local newspaper, citing a high-ranking government source, reported that hackers gained access to Mr. Yoon’s trip schedule and also stole messages sent by the president. However, the president’s office failed to disclose the extent of the information the threat actors stole.

The incident marks the first known successful hacking attempt by North Korea targeting a member of the South Korean president’s team.

In a statement, the president’s office emphasized that the hacker failed to breach their security system itself. Instead, they attributed the incident to a violation of security regulations by an individual administrator who used a commercial email for work.

Many know North Korea for its cyber hacking to steal both money and information, with increasingly sophisticated methods. The country often targets cryptocurrency to fund its regime and nuclear weapons program, estimated to have stolen billions of dollars since 2016. Additionally, North Korea seeks state secrets, including advanced weapons technology, through cyber hacks.

A South Korean government source, speaking anonymously to the Kukmin Ilbo, expressed shock and concern over the breach, highlighting potential security risks for Mr. Yoon during his overseas visit.

During his visit to London, President Yoon met with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The South Korean government assured that necessary measures were taken to address the incident before the president’s trip and emphasized efforts to enhance security awareness and prevent future breaches.

North Korea Previous Attacks

Cyber threat actors associated with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), more commonly referred to as North Korea, managed to abscond with more than $600 million in cryptocurrency during 2023.

Although this marked a 30% decline from the previous year’s total of $850 million, the DPRK still claimed a substantial portion, representing close to one-third of the overall funds stolen in cryptocurrency attacks, according to findings from blockchain analytics company TRM Labs.