South Korea on Tuesday has vowed to step up efforts on IT security to fend off cyber attacks especially from North Korea. To avoid breakdowns similar to what happened in March this year that exposed government sites and that of financial institutions, Seoul authorities have made a legislation to enforce efforts on IT security.
Under a presidential decree, 45 officials at 23 government agencies will be appointed to take charge of computer security and emergency planning, South Korea's home affairs ministry said. "This measure is aimed at helping fend off cyber attacks that have been taking place continuously," said a ministry official quoted by AFP.
Earlier this month, South Korean prosecutors have claimed that the North Korean military intelligence may have launched a cyber attack that paralysed operations at one of Seoul's largest banks. It also accused Pyongyang of staging cyber attacks on websites of major South Korean government agencies in March this year and in July 2009.
Pyongyang's defence ministry denied all the allegations and added this would just add to the diplomatic tensions between the two Koreas. Seoul also accused North Korea of reportedly maintaining elite hacker units, which it now prepares to combat with its own group of IT and military personnel.
