The Defense Ministry said Monday it will host a contest in October to pick the best anti-hacking experts as part of efforts to fight growing hacking threats in cyberspace.

In the 2015 White Hat Contest, to be held in October, three final teams each will be picked from the adult and underage segments in a simulated cyberattack situation in which the contestants are tasked with blocking hacking attempts, the ministry said.

The winners will be given prizes along with a financial award worth 72 million won ($61,000) in total, the ministry said.

The qualifying and final rounds are planned for Oct. 10 and Oct. 21, respectively. The National Intelligence Service will jointly host the competition under the auspices of the Military Cyber Command.

White hat is a term that refers to computer security experts who specialize mainly in fighting illegal hacking attacks.

"The military is making multilateral efforts to safeguard cyberspace at a time when the technology and methods (of cyberattacks) by unidentified attackers are fast-evolving," the ministry said, explaining the background of the competition.

The contest will also include a competition for cybersecurity policy and technology suggestions, which will kick off Monday, according to the ministry.

Cyberspace has recently become the latest battlefield in the wake of growing state and non-state hacking attempts for cyberespionage or disruption.

In January, the United States slapped a series of retaliatory sanctions on North Korea, blaming the country for a hacking attack on Sony Pictures, the distributor of film "The Interview," which lampooned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)