South Korea attributes cyberattacks to pro-Russia groups amid rising tensions with North Korea

South Korea has reported a rise in cyberattacks by pro-Russia hacking groups following North Korea’s recent deployment of troops to Russia in support of its war against Ukraine. Seoul’s presidential office held an emergency meeting after detecting denial-of-service attacks on government and private websites, leading to temporary outages but no significant damage. Officials have pledged to strengthen cybersecurity defences in response to the attacks.

The South Korean government noted that pro-Russian hacktivist attacks have grown more frequent since North Korea sent troops to Russia. Reports indicate that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers are now stationed in Russia, with some reportedly engaged in combat near Ukraine.

The new military partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow has drawn condemnation from South Korea, the US, and Western allies, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warning that these developments mark a new era of global instability.