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South Korea’s military aims to establish reserve forces for cyberwarfare in 2025 amid North Korea’s growing digital threats.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday, officials have been mapping out a plan for the creation of the unit, whose key mission would be to promptly incapacitate North Korean cyberwarfare units in case of a war.
The unit is expected to consist of reservists who formerly served in the cyberspace security areas of the military or police. Its size, command system, missions and training programs will be determined after the ministry finishes the review of all the submitted proposals, officials said.
“The goal of the establishment is strengthening warfare capabilities,” an official said in line with the national project of training 100,000 people in cybersecurity.
Bolstering cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important in modern warfare. Ukraine, for example, has been attacked by Russian hackers since the early phases of their ongoing war, with the websites of several government departments and agencies disrupted.
Experts have warned that North Korean hackers may be able to inflict more serious damage, calling for more government investment and preparation against such risks.
Two months after taking office in May 2022, President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Pangyo Techno Valley in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where he said cybersecurity is at the core of the nation's security and pledged to designate reserve forces for cyberwarfare.
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