SEOUL: The office of the South Korean President has confirmed to the BBC that North Korea hacked the personal emails of an aide to President Yoon Suk Yeol. The breach occurred in the lead-up to President Yoon’s state visit to the UK last November.
According to reports, the staff member fell victim to the hacking after using a personal email account for official work purposes.
A local newspaper, Kukmin Ilbo, cited a high-ranking government source who revealed that the hackers managed to access President Yoon’s trip schedule and steal messages sent by the president himself. However, the specifics of the information stolen were not disclosed by the president’s office.
This marks the first known instance of North Korea successfully hacking into a member of the South Korean president’s team. The president’s office clarified that their security system remained intact and was not compromised.
In a statement, the office attributed the breach to the individual administrator’s careless violation of security regulations by using a commercial email for official purposes.
North Korea’s cyber hacking activities are known to target both financial gains and information theft, with increasingly sophisticated methods. The regime seeks to acquire large sums of money, often in cryptocurrency, to support its nuclear weapons program, having reportedly stolen up to $3 billion since 2016.
Additionally, Pyongyang is believed to conduct hacks aimed at stealing state secrets, including advanced weapons technology details.
The South Korean government source expressed shock and concern over the breach, emphasizing potential security risks for President Yoon during his international travels.
President Yoon’s state visit to London in November included meetings with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The South Korean government assured that the breach was detected before the president’s trip and necessary measures were promptly taken. Efforts to bolster security measures and raise awareness among team members have been initiated to prevent future incidents.
