The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Cabinet OKs creation of new presidential post of cyber security

By KH디지털2

Published : March 31, 2015 - 14:50

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The Cabinet approved the creation of a new presidential post handling cyber security, an official said Tuesday, the latest in a series of efforts by South Korea to better deal with possible cyber-attacks.

Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said the new post of presidential secretary for cyber security is designed to strengthen the country's control tower over cyber security.

Still, President Park Geun-hye has yet to name her pick for the new post.

The move came after a series of cyber-attacks in South Korea and the United States in recent months that were blamed on North Korea.

Park has warned that South Korea could be susceptible to cyber-attacks unless thorough security measures are put in place as everything is connected to the Internet. South Korea is one of the world's most wired nations.

Park's special advisor on security, Lim Jong-in, said in a conference that cyber-attacks pose a real threat and the creation of the new post is a good decision as it would put in place a system for quick coordination throughout the government over possible cyber-attacks.

South Korea said earlier this month that North Korea is believed to be linked to a series of leaks of data on South Korea's nuclear power plants in December.

The U.S. has also accused North Korea of being behind the hacking of Sony Pictures in November over its comedy film "The Interview," which depicts a plot to assassinate the communist nation's leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea has a track record of waging cyber-attacks on South Korea and the U.S, though it has flatly denied any involvement in the latest high-profile cases. (Yonhap)