North Korea’s state media on Monday blasted South Korea’s spy agency for alleging that Pyongyang hacked tens of thousands of smartphones in South Korea using malware disguised in mobile games.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said in a report to the National Assembly last week that the North attempted to hack more than 20,000 South Korean smartphones between May and September.
The agency said it worked with the owners of South Korean Web sites and government officials to remove the applications and block suspected hacking channels.
Pyongyang’s official Web site Uriminzokkiri accused the intelligence agency of fabricating the report to distract attention from a standoff over South Korean activists who send leaflets critical of North Korea’s regime across the border by balloon.
“It is [the] usual tactic used by South Korean authorities to fan anti-Pyongyang sentiment whenever they face a political crisis,” it said.
Last month, the two sides exchanged heavy machine gun fire across their border after North Korea fired at balloons carrying such leaflets.
The incident has jeopardized plans to resume high-level talks, with the North saying the leaflet launches had soured the atmosphere. The South says it cannot legally prohibit the launches.
In recent years, hackers have launched cyberattacks against South Korean military institutions, commercial banks, government agencies, TV broadcasters and media Web sites, its government said.
Investigations have concluded that North Korea was the source.
The North is said to run a cyberwar unit of at least 3,000 personnel, but it has denied involvement and accuses Seoul of fabricating the incidents to fan tensions.
Meanwhile, four North Korean defector groups made a joint pledge Monday to stage low-key leaflet launches to try to prevent a further escalation of military tensions.
“For a while, there will be no publicity in our operations,” Park Sang-hak, who heads the Fighters for Free North Korea, told reporters.
Seoul has asked activists to show restraint at a sensitive time.
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