Cyberattacks against S. Korean military top 18,000 last year: report
koreaherald.com Jul 12, 2026

Cyberattacks against S. Korean military top 18,000 last year: report

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

South Korea’s military recorded 18,951 cyber‑attack attempts in 2025, a 31 % rise from the previous year and the highest level in five years, according to a report from lawmaker Yu Yong‑weon’s office. The surge follows a dip to roughly 9,100 incidents in 2022 after earlier peaks in 2021. Most attempts targeted military websites, with 18,792 intrusions, while phishing‑style email hacks climbed from 16 in 2023 to 127 in 2025. Defense officials attribute the threat to North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, which they estimate fields about 8,400 hackers that route attacks through third countries. Meanwhile, the South Korean military’s cyber officer program is losing talent: 85 % of the 104 officers commissioned between 2016‑2019 left after service, and only seven of 24 graduates were commissioned in 2025, as private‑sector pay and conditions lure specialists away.

💡 Why It Matters

  • · The talent drain threatens the armed forces’ ability to counter a rapidly intensifying North Korean cyber campaign.