Military targeted in nearly 19,000 cyberattack attempts in 2025: lawmaker

Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party / Newsis

Cyberattack attempts against the South Korean military reached nearly 19,000 last year, marking the highest figure in five years, a lawmaker said Sunday.

The military was targeted in 18,951 cyberattack attempts in 2025, compared with 11,700 in 2021, 9,115 in 2022, 13,599 in 2023 and 14,419 in 2024, according to Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party, citing data from the defense ministry.

Among last year's cases, 18,792 were classified as attempts to compromise websites by trying to take over administrator privileges.

In its report to the lawmaker, the Cyber Operations Command said there were limitations in identifying the source of the attempts as malicious actors hide their tracks but noted North Korea appears to have recently advanced its hacking capabilities.

South Korean authorities believe North Korea carries out cyber warfare operations through its intelligence agency — the General Reconnaissance and Intelligence Bureau.

North Korea called for expanding the functions and missions of the agency during a meeting of the Central Military Commission presided over by leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday, according to its state media.