South Korea

Hackers Steals US, South Korea War Plans for Crushing North Korea

Computer hackers believed to be from North Korea, hacked into a South Korean defense department site and stole a large amount of classified military documents, a South Korean spokesman said on Wednesday.

The documents supposedly include the United States and South Korean war plans to wipe out the North Korean leadership.

Democratic Party representative Rhee Cheol-hee said in radio appearances on Wednesday that 235 gigabytes of military documents were taken from the Defense Integrated Data Center in September last year, citing information from unnamed South Korean defense officials.
This May an investigative team inside the defense ministry announced the hack had been carried out by North Korea, but did not disclosed what kind of information had been taken.
Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the cyberattacks in its state media, criticizing Seoul for “fabricating” claims about online attacks.
Rhee, currently a member of the National Assembly’s committee for national defense, said about 80 percent of the hacked data has not yet been identified, but that none of the information was expected to have compromised the South Korean military as it was not top classified intelligence.

Neither the US or the South Korean military will comment on anything relating to intelligence matters but spokesmen from both countries are assured that their war-time plans are safe.

Apparently, the hack was made possible by a contractor who performed maintenance on the computer in question and “inadvertently” left a connecting jack linking the military’s intranet with the internet which made the computer vulnerable to a hack.

To read the entire article from Reuters, click here:

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U.S. and Japan Seek to Cut Off North Korea’s Oil Supply

In response to the missile launch of North Korea over the Japanese islands on Tuesday, the United States and Japan will call for an international embargo on oil exports to Kin Jong Un’s government. The allied effort seeks to strike at the heart of Pyongyang’s weapons programs.

Japan has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York City along with the U.S. and South Korea. The three governments will then propose their ban to the UN. Whether or not other nations agree to join this proposed ban on oil is another matter.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke via telephone on Tuesday and both agreed that now is the time for further pressure on North Korea, rather than dialogue. The missile launch by the North Koreans was another dangerous precedent, having the missile carry over Japanese territory.

Though this marks the fifth time North Korean missiles have flown over Japan, key differences from past cases indicate that the threat is greater this time.
The missile was launched from Sunan, near Pyongyang, around 5:58 a.m. and landed in the Pacific Ocean about 1,180km east of Cape Erimo on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It flew about 2,700km, according to the Japanese government, suggesting that Pyongyang intended to prove that it can strike the American territory of Guam at any time.
Tokyo and Washington see quick, decisive action as necessary to avert a crisis. Past sanctions have done little to hinder Pyongyang, but an oil embargo that includes China, which North Korea relies on for the bulk of its supply, and Russia could deprive the regime of a vital resource, the thinking goes.

Both China and Russia, who have veto powers in the Security Council, are expected to fight this proposal. Which could embolden the North even more.

To read the entire article from The Nikkei Asian Review, click here:

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North Korea Launches Several Land-to-Ship Missiles, South Korea Delays THAAD

The rogue nation of Kim Jong Un in North Korea continues to up the ante in the never-ending weapons program tit-for-tat. The North launched a series of missiles that were characterized as land-to-ship and defensive in nature off of its coast.

While the UN continues to impose more economic sanctions on the North, Jong’s military continues their dangerous game of cat and mouse and have been rattling their saber and tweaking the US and the South.

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in who took office on May 10 has pledged to work for a peaceful solution with the North and has delayed the installation of the controversial US missile defense program THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) that China, North Korea’s chief ally particularly have issues with.

South Korea on Wednesday said it will hold off on installing remaining components of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system that has angered North Korea’s main ally, China, amid early signs of easing tensions between the two countries.
The missiles were launched Thursday morning from the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan and flew about 200 km (124 miles), South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been conducting missile tests at an unprecedented pace in an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the mainland United States.
Compared to the different types of ballistic missiles Pyongyang has recently tested, the missiles launched on Thursday are considered to be more defensive in nature, designed to defend against threats such as enemy warships.
North Korea unveiled a number of new weapons at a massive military parade on April 15 to mark the birth anniversary of the state’s founding leader and has since tested some of them.
“What appeared to be a new type of land-to-ship missile equipped with four launching canisters was unveiled at the parade,” said Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University’s Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. “I think this might be what was used today.”
“Obviously, the pressure China puts on South Korea has taken effect. Seoul’s will has been shaken,” the paper said. “However, attitude is not everything. Without solving the problem of THAAD, the pain it has brought to bilateral relations will not disappear, and South Korea must swallow some of the bitter results.”
China should work with Russia on counter-measures to THAAD, the Global Times added.
Asked about the latest missile test, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called for all parties to exercise restraint.
“The UN Security Council resolution has clear rules on (North Korea’s) use of ballistic missiles technologies,” she said. “All sides should work together to de-escalate tensions and take active steps to stabilize the region.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing China aggressively to rein in North Korea, warning that all options, including a pre-emptive military strike, are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development.

The decision to delay THAAD has been seen as a sign of weakness by South Korea. The Global Times, published by China’s official People’s Daily has said “Obviously, the pressure China puts on South Korea has taken effect. Seoul’s will has been shaken,” the paper said.

“However, attitude is not everything. Without solving the problem of THAAD, the pain it has brought to bilateral relations will not disappear, and South Korea must swallow some of the bitter results.”

To read the entire article from Reuters, click here:

Photo courtesy Reuters