Haven for Hackers

South Korea has the highest percentage of broadband Internet users in the world. Yet, the country’s cybersecurity record is one of the world’s worst. Last year, 26,000 hacking incidents were reported to South Korea’s Ministry of Information and Communication in a survey of government institutions, banks, businesses, and schools—a 178-fold increase since 1996. Kwon Seok-Chul, ...

South Korea has the highest percentage of broadband Internet users in the world. Yet, the country's cybersecurity record is one of the world's worst. Last year, 26,000 hacking incidents were reported to South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication in a survey of government institutions, banks, businesses, and schools—a 178-fold increase since 1996. Kwon Seok-Chul, the head of Hauri (www.hauri.co.kr), a Seoul-based computer-virus vaccine developer, says the South Korean government's ignorance of cybercrime has made it "quite normal for hackers from all over the world to want to test their skills in the country." In June, foreign hackers (purportedly from China) penetrated several of South Korea's security and defense agencies. Authorities are not sure what the hackers were after or how successful they were, but the rather embarrassing episode prompted the country's National Cyber Security Center (http://service1.nis.go.kr/eng/) to mandate that, as of July 30, 2004, all Internet-related firms must report hacking incidents. Future cyberintruders may find it harder to come and go undetected.

South Korea has the highest percentage of broadband Internet users in the world. Yet, the country’s cybersecurity record is one of the world’s worst. Last year, 26,000 hacking incidents were reported to South Korea’s Ministry of Information and Communication in a survey of government institutions, banks, businesses, and schools—a 178-fold increase since 1996. Kwon Seok-Chul, the head of Hauri (www.hauri.co.kr), a Seoul-based computer-virus vaccine developer, says the South Korean government’s ignorance of cybercrime has made it "quite normal for hackers from all over the world to want to test their skills in the country." In June, foreign hackers (purportedly from China) penetrated several of South Korea’s security and defense agencies. Authorities are not sure what the hackers were after or how successful they were, but the rather embarrassing episode prompted the country’s National Cyber Security Center (http://service1.nis.go.kr/eng/) to mandate that, as of July 30, 2004, all Internet-related firms must report hacking incidents. Future cyberintruders may find it harder to come and go undetected.

Soyoung Ho is an editorial assistant at the Washington Monthly.

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.