Military seeks to bolster cyber defense

By Kim Young-jin

Seoul is seeking to bolster its cyber defenses in a bid to combat possible attacks by North Korea, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

The military also aims to boost its deployment of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles targeting the North's nuclear weapons facilities and missile bases, the ministry said in a reform plan presented to President Lee Myung-bak earlier.

Previously this year, Seoul said Pyongyang had jammed GPS signals of civilian aircraft traveling to and from Incheon and Gimpo international airports, in its latest wave of cyber attacks.

The ministry said it would double its personnel at the Cyber Command, a unit launched in 2010 to combat such attacks from the North.

"Programs and vaccines will be made to help the military carry out cyber warfare and secure comprehensive capabilities," in cyber defense, a senior ministry official said, asking not to be named.

The plan includes a host of other changes and would cost $52.3 million over five years, the ministry said. The plan still needs National Assembly approval.

The significant increase of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles near the border would be for “swiftly countering moves by the North to launch nuclear weapons and missiles," the official said.

Under the plan, the Navy would establish a submarine command in 2015, and deploy six next-generation destroyers by 2026; and the Air Force would create an aerospace command to check on intelligence satellites that monitor the country.

Other reforms would include boosting the number of female service members to 7 percent in officer positions and 5 percent in non-commissioned officer posts by 2017.

Tensions have been high with the North since Pyongyang’s two deadly attacks in 2010. This has continued under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, who took over after the death of his father in December.

Kim in recent weeks has ramped up his rhetoric against the South, visiting multiple border military units in an apparent response to ongoing South Korea-U.S. military drills.

Cyber attacks from the North are not new _ last year it sent jamming signals for 10 days during an annual U.S.-South Korea joint military drill, causing minor disturbances to military phones and other devices. It has also hacked government offices and banks.