Hermit Hackers

South Korea’s National Assembly Defense Committee recently reported that North Korea has trained an army of 500 to 600 skilled computer hackers. According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (nis.go.kr/eng), North Korea’s hackers attend a special five-year college called the Automated Warfare Institute. Tucked away in the mountains, the South Koreans say, this military academy ...

South Korea's National Assembly Defense Committee recently reported that North Korea has trained an army of 500 to 600 skilled computer hackers. According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (nis.go.kr/eng), North Korea's hackers attend a special five-year college called the Automated Warfare Institute. Tucked away in the mountains, the South Koreans say, this military academy produces 100 cyberwarriors per year, with degrees in subjects such as automated reconnaissance.

South Korea’s National Assembly Defense Committee recently reported that North Korea has trained an army of 500 to 600 skilled computer hackers. According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (nis.go.kr/eng), North Korea’s hackers attend a special five-year college called the Automated Warfare Institute. Tucked away in the mountains, the South Koreans say, this military academy produces 100 cyberwarriors per year, with degrees in subjects such as automated reconnaissance.

News that North Korea is developing cyberwarfare capabilities on par with those in advanced nations came as a surprise. Short on cutting-edge computer technology (not to mention reliable electrical grids), the Hermit Kingdom still depends on other nations for its Internet bandwidth. As of October 2004, there were reportedly 43 official North Korean or pro-North Korean Web sites on the Net. Yet none of these sites is actually housed on a North Korean computer server. Seventeen, including North Korea’s official news agency, KCNA (kcna.co.jp), exist on Japanese servers. Servers in the United States, China, Singapore, and Germany host North Korea’s remaining sites.

<p> Rebecca MacKinnon is a Schwartz senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a former CNN bureau chief in Tokyo and Beijing, co-founder of the citizen media network Global Voices, and author of Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom. </p>

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.