South Korea's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Hwang Jun-kuk made the remarks at a press conference held at the UN Office. New York, Thursday. Yonhap News Agency
South Korea vows to tackle North Korean cyber attacks as global issue
South Korea has vowed to address North Korea's cybercriminal activities at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to raise awareness and educate other UN member states about the devastating impact on their economy and international security.
This is the right move by the right player.
Cyber attacks and their harmful effects are issues that countries like South Korea need to address swiftly and appropriately. South Korea is one of the countries that have experienced the most cyber attacks in the world, and knows better than any other country how devastating the consequences of a cyber attack can be and why cybersecurity is so important.
South Korea's Permanent Representative to the UN Hwang Jun-kuk said cyber attacks were a cross-border issue that required international discussion. “The destruction of key infrastructure, theft of personal information and the theft of virtual assets through cyber attacks are cross-border issues and pose serious security threats to all countries,” he said at a press conference in his New York office on Friday.
He said he plans to launch an awareness campaign to include responding to cyber attacks on the UN Security Council's agenda as South Korea assumes the rotating presidency of the council next month. Each member state will take turns chairing the council for one month, according to alphabetical order of the country's name.
Technically, there is not much South Korea can do about North Korean cyberattacks during its one-month presidency of the Security Council — too short a time to rally support from other UN member states in efforts to develop concrete measures to counter illicit cyber activities.
But despite the time constraints, South Korea's pledge to raise awareness of cyber attacks at the UN Security Council is meaningful because some countries, including North Korea, have weaponized cyber attacks to disrupt enemy nations and key infrastructure. Cyber warfare is a key part of military operations, as seen in the war in Ukraine and several other conflicts in other parts of the world over the past few decades.
Cyber attacks are commonplace in South Korea even in peacetime. The worst part is that many organizations, both public and private sector, don't even realize they've been hacked, even after their systems have been infiltrated. The culprit is almost always North Korea. China and Russia are also involved in malicious cyber activities in South Korea. Hackers linked to the Russian military launched a cyber attack during the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, Chinese hackers created and operated dozens of fake news sites to spread disinformation ahead of the April 10 parliamentary elections.
On Friday, SBS reported that North Korean hackers launched a cyber attack on an unnamed South Korean polling agency in February, just weeks before the national parliamentary election. The hackers used stolen administrator identities to break into the agency's systems in an unsuccessful attempt to steal sensitive information. The report came days after media reports that emails of senior military officials had been hacked. North Korea's cyber attacks are widespread, going far beyond the theft of sensitive information and disruption of key facilities.
Since the 2010s, North Korea has prioritized cyber attacks to steal crypto assets and obtain cash. North Korea is subject to multiple layers of sanctions and uses the money to fund its nuclear and missile programs. Cyber attacks help North Korea continue to develop and improve its weapons of mass destruction, threatening international security.
This financial incentive encourages North Korean hackers to continue expanding their “business domain” to many other countries, helping North Korea earn an estimated $630 million in 2022.
North Korean cyber attacks pose a global threat, but the international response to thwart its malicious cyber activities has been slow, if not nonexistent. South Korea can play a role in encouraging the inactive international community to hold North Korea accountable for its malicious cyberspace activities.
During its one-month presidency of the UN Security Council, South Korea can share its experiences with other UN member states, deepen understanding of the severe impact of North Korean cyber attacks it has experienced, and rally support to lay the foundation for a global cybersecurity regime to more effectively protect against malicious cyber activity.
