PPP calls for opposition's support on pending cybersecurity law amid NK hacking threats

Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party attend a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 5. Yonhap

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) called Tuesday for opposition support in passing a pending cybersecurity bill amid growing hacking attempts by North Korea.

Proposed in 2020 by Cho Tae-yong, a former PPP lawmaker and current national security adviser, the National Cybersecurity Basic Law calls for establishing a presidential cybersecurity committee and a cybersecurity center under the direct control of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) director.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has strongly opposed the bill, citing concerns it could open the gateway for the intelligence agency to spy on ordinary people.

"We cannot sit idly by in a situation where we have already fallen prey to North Korea and don't even realize our information was stolen," said Rep. Yu Eui-dong, the PPP's chief policymaker, as he called for the DPK to change its stance on the legislation.

"North Korea's indiscriminate hacking attempts to steal classified information and virtual assets has always been a problem. Major countries ... oversee cybersecurity issues on a national level. South Korea should also construct a cybersecurity control tower and systematically take care of such matters," he said.

In the first half of this year alone, North Korea has made over 900,000 hacking attempts against South Korea, Yu said, citing data from the NIS.

On Monday, the North Korean hacking group Andariel was found to have stolen digital data containing key technologies from local defense firms and repatriated part of the money they acquired via ransomware attacks on other firms, according to the police. (Yonhap)