Welcome to the North Korea Leak

In the wake of the cyber attacks targetting various US and South Korean Government and Spy agencies, with the finger being pointed somewhere toward North Korea, one does not expect such an economically strapped country to have the capacity of launching 21st century cyber warfare.

Even though the attacks were mainly thwarted, it is a big middle finger to the US and South Korea and a demonstration of the North’s technological capabilities.

It seems Kim Jong-Il, being an avid internet user himself, has long recognised the need for a cyber army and apparently has 1000> hackers at his disposal.

Where could this go? Well, North Korea has a huge portfolio of attention seeking and demonstrating it’s military might, so this may just be a show of strength to scare the US and South Korea.

Meanwhile, South Korea has said that it is increasing it’s efforts to get it’s cyber warfare unit up to speed to counter the North’s aggressive hacker army.

Suspicions are growing that North Korea is responsible for a massive cyber-attack which occurred on the weekend in South Korea and on some US government web sites.

Intelligence experts believe it could have been an initial foray by the North Koreans to disable South Korean and US information systems.

It is also believed the Internet attacks were not isolated, but tied a North Korean military strategy, which includes its recent missile and nuclear weapons tests.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has revealed the computer virus infected 18,000 personal computers and at least 11 South Korean government sites.

US sites hit by the virus included the Treasury Department, Federal Trade Commission, and Secret Service.

Analysts have said the attacks on South Korean websites may have been made in place of feared attacks along the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.

They have suggested recent missile tests have underlined North Korean efforts to perfect their missile accuracy but do not signify an imminent military attack.

The Internet attacks came as North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il attended a memorial service marking the 15th anniversary of the death of his father, Kim Il-Sung.

He was shown briefly on North Korean state TV walking with a slight limp.

North Korea has test fired a series of scud missiles that have a range of 500km. This is an apparent act of defiance on the American Independence Day (4th of July.)

South Korea says the missiles were fired from an east coast launch site.

All of the missiles landed in the Sea of Japan (or East Sea.)

“Our military is fully ready to counter any North Korean threats and provocations”
- South Korea

North Korea has accused Japan of sending spy planes near it’s missile site and threatens that future missions will be shot down.

North Korea’s air force said Japan’s E-767 surveillance aircraft conducted aerial espionage near the Musudan-ri missile site on its northeast coast Wednesday and Thursday.

An official from Japan’s defense ministry said the country’s planes regularly gather information on North Korea but declined to comment on the types of planes used or the locations monitored.

Recently North Korea has complained of U.S. spy missions in its airspace, but rarely has complained about Japan.

In it’s recent step-up in harsh rhetoric, North Korea has threatened a ‘fire shower’ of nuclear weapons if the US attacks and has vowed to increase it’s nuclear arsenal while US President Barack Obama extended economic sanctions on the currently highly volatile country for another year.

Meanwhile, a rally of an estimated 100,000 North Koreans in Pyongyang holding placards with symbols of war and hate toward the US; slogans including a missile with the US flag on.

Seeing as the only authorised protests in North Korea are to do with international criticisms/actions against North Korea, it is highly likely that the placards were issued and authorised from the top.

North Korea’s “armed forces will deal an annihilating blow that is unpredictable and unavoidable, to any ’sanctions’ or provocations by the US,” Pak Pyong Jong, first vice chairman of the Pyongyang City People’s Committee, told the crowd.

State-run newspapers ran lengthy editorials accusing the U.S. of invading the country in 1950 and of looking for an opportunity to attack again. The editorials said those actions justified North Korea’s development of atomic bombs to defend itself.

However, to be totally honest, the US Barack Obama was elected on a more anti-war and conservative election campaign and to go to war without first being struck would be highly out of character for the US President and one would expect high criticisms at home in the US, as bad as the situation in North Korea may be, but many people are not aware of the true character and puppet-masters of North Korea.