Seoul - South Korea's government accused North Korea Tuesday of carrying out cyber-attacks last December on its nuclear power plant operator, describing them as a provocation which threatened people's lives and safety.
"We condemn North Korea's persistent cyber-terror targeting our country and the international community," the unification ministry said after investigators concluded the North was behind the attacks.
"It's a clear provocation against our security," the ministry said in a statement, accusing Pyongyang of "taking the life and safety of our people as a hostage".
Tensions between the neighbours are running high after the South this month held joint military drills with the United States, which the North has condemned as provocative rehearsals for invasion.
Last December hackers published designs, manuals and other information about South Korean reactors on Twitter, along with personal information about workers at their operating company, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP).
The leaks prompted the South to heighten cyber-security and form an investigation team involving experts, government officials and state prosecutors.
The team on Tuesday said the hackers intended to cause a malfunction at atomic reactors, but failed to break into their control system.
It said malicious codes used in the cyber-attacks were similar to those which North Korean hackers have employed before.
"We've reached the conclusion that the crime was committed by a group of North Korean hackers seeking to stir up social unrest and agitation in our country," the investigators said in a statement.
They said the hackers used multiple Internet protocol addresses based in China to send some 6,000 "phishing" emails to over 3,570 former and current KHNP workers to steal the data.
AFP
