North Korea yesterday blasted Seoul’s accusation that Pyongyang had launched a series of cyberattacks targeting South Korean government officials, calling the allegation a “bullshit” fabrication.
The South Korean National Intelligence Service last week accused North Korean agents of hacking into the smartphones of dozens of key South Korean officials, stealing telephone numbers and texts.
The accusation followed claims earlier this year from the agency that North Korean hackers sent phishing e-mails to the South’s state railway authorities in preparation for cyberterror attacks on traffic control systems.
Photo: EPA
The North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper lashed out at the hacking accusations, saying they were cooked up by Seoul to shore up support for controversial surveillance legislation.
“This is such shameless bullshit from the enemy forces, who are obsessed with confrontation and political slander,” read an editorial published yesterday.
It added that Seoul was trying to use the “fabricated” threats to rally support for an anti-cyberterror bill that would the grant the agency greater surveillance powers on the Internet.
The controversial bill, which critics say could be used against political opponents, is pending in the South Korean National Assembly.
Seoul has blamed North Korean hackers in the past for a series of cyberattacks on military institutions, banks, government bodies, TV broadcasters and media Web sites, as well as a nuclear power plant.
The US also said the North was behind a crippling cyberattack on Sony’s Hollywood film unit over its controversial North Korea-themed satirical film The Interview in 2014.
Pyongyang has denied involvement in the attacks and accused South Korea of spreading fabrications aimed at slandering its leader.
Military tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula have been on the rise since the North carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch last month.
On Saturday, the North pledged to launch a “blitzkrieg” in the Korean Peninsula, as the US and South Korea launched their largest-ever joint landing drill.
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