Defector warns 6,000 North Korean military hackers could kill
A North Korean defector has warned that as many as 6,000 military hackers harbour the potential to kill by destroying critical infrastructure in the West.
Speaking to the BBC Prof Kim Heung-Kwang, a computer science teacher who escaped the hermit state in 2004, estimates that up to 20 per cent of the regime’s military budget now goes on cyber warfare.
Heung-Kwang, who is believed to have taught many students who went onto form the state’s top secret hacking division, Bureau 121, said: “The size of the cyber-attack agency has increased significantly, and now has approximately 6,000 people.
"The reason North Korea has been harassing other countries is to demonstrate that North Korea has cyber war capacity. Their cyber-attacks could have similar impacts as military attacks, killing people and destroying cities."
Reportedly based in China the unit has been linked to numerous attacks on power plants and banks in South Korea.