Cybersecurity for the North Korea watcher is about adopting a disciplined, practice-based mindset. The threats faced by researchers in the field are persistent and highly tailored.
North Korea has transformed into the perfect “Hollywood” cyber villain. From ransomware outbreaks to phishing operations and crypto heists, North Korea is now cited so frequently in attribution reports and press briefings that its involvement often appears less as an empirical finding than a rhetorical reflex. But this ease of attribution—often accompanied by scant verifiable detail—carries consequences, especially for South Korea.
Significance. The April 2025 cyber attack on SK Telecom, South Korea's largest mobile carrier, has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the nation's digital infrastructure.
Significance. South Korea’s launch of its second military reconnaissance satellite on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket marks a critical step in its longstanding objective of building a more autonomous defense posture.
On 3 December South Korea’s president imposed martial law. Within six hours the National Assembly voted to overturn the declaration. While democracy prevailed, the incident exposed entrenched political instability in South Korea.
The South Korean government is set to amend its espionage laws, previously focused on activities aiding North Korea, to encompass actions supporting other foreign powers.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) ranking of South Korea in Tier 1 of the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) hides the lack of a comprehensive cybersecurity culture among the wider population.
