(Yonhap Interview) Czech cybersecurity chief urges global action against Pyongyang's expanding hacking threat
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The head of the Czech Republic's cybersecurity agency said Tuesday the global community, including governments, private companies and international organizations, must work together to counter North Korea's cyberattacks, which target not only its traditional adversaries, like the United States and South Korea, but also countries worldwide.
Lukas Kintr, director of the National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB), made the remarks in a written interview with Yonhap News Agency ahead of his visit to Seoul for the Cyber Summit Korea 2025 next week.
"Cyber threats emanating from North Korea have in recent years clearly grown in scope and severity," he said.
"North Korean threat actors are becoming more sophisticated and creative, and their extensive use of artificial intelligence (AI) is allowing their campaigns to become larger in scale and more effective."
He explained that North Korea's financially motivated cyber operations, designed to fund the regime and its nuclear weapons program, are often indiscriminate and opportunistic, putting any country or institution at risk.
"This threat also concerns our country," he said. "The Czech Republic has previously been targeted by North Korean cyber attacks; in 2023, for example, we reported on a campaign against the Czech defense sector carried out by the Lazarus group," he said, referring to the infamous hacking group widely believed to have direct links to Pyongyang.
North Korea is heavily engaged in cyber campaigns for financial gains, including ransomware attacks and cryptocurrency thefts.
In a joint statement in January, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan said North Korean hackers stole about US$659 million in crypto assets in 2024 alone. North Korea-affiliated groups, including the Lazarus Group, were sanctioned by the three countries.
Kintr also pointed to North Korea's tactic of sending operatives disguised as Western developers and engineers to work abroad and remit their earnings back to Pyongyang, a scheme that generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually for its weapons programs.
He stressed that countering such activities requires making them "more costly and less attractive" through coordinated efforts among governments, private companies and international organizations.
"Given the global and cross-border nature of these threats, it is clear that no single country can address them alone," he noted.
"By sharing intelligence, harmonizing regulations and aligning sanctions or other countermeasures, we can increase the risks and reduce the benefits for those who engage in hostile cyber operations."
On this point, he said cybersecurity cooperation between South Korea and the Czech Republic can play a significant role.
"We must focus on deterring malicious behavior in cyberspace, ensuring that hostile actors face real costs for their actions," he said, adding that bolstering cyber resilience in emerging technologies, such as AI, 5G and 6G networks, and quantum computing, should also be a priority.
"Building a culture of cyber awareness and training through expert exchanges and joint exercises can help us translate our strategic partnership into tangible, long-term resilience."
brk@yna.co.kr
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