Hacking and Viruses in South Korea

On June 3 the Korea Times and other local newspapers reported that the web site of McDonald's Corporation in Korea had been hacked, apparently in connection with the public protests against import of American beef. Although this may be one of the latest hacking incidents to be publicized, it is part of a larger trend in recent years. Data from Korea's Cyber Terror Response Center show that hacking and virus related crimes increased dramatically from 2003 through 2006, and have declined somewhat since then. A recent article in the Joongang Daily notes that "In Korea there are about 30,000 information security workers, about 4 percent of all IT professionals. Investment in security is about 5 percent of all investment in IT, compared to 10 percent in most advanced countries." Data on the number of hacking incidents involving public sector networks in Korea showed a similar pattern. For further information on these phenomena in South Korea, consult the website of the Cyber Terror Response Center or the Criminal Investigation Statistics on the website of the Korea National Policy Agency.