`N.Korea hacked website of major S.Korean daily last year`

The National Police Agency says North Korea hacked the homepage of the South Korean daily Joongang Ilbo and its server in June last year.

According to the agency`s cyber terror response center, the hacker used an Internet protocol registered with the North`s Post and Telecommunications Ministry to approach Joongang`s internal server and planted a malignant code there. Since the code enabled the deletion of hard disk files, a considerable number of files were lost.

In April last year, North Korea threatened to retaliate against South Korean media for criticizing the centennial birthday ceremony of the Stalinist country`s late founder Kim Il Sung. Police said Pyongyang made good on its threat with a cyber attack.

Though the North threatened to attack major media outlets in South Korea, including The Dong-A Ilbo and KBS, police said, only Joongang was victimized for reasons yet unknown.

neo@donga.com