North Korea breached emails belonging to the aide of South Korea's president.

The South Korean president’s office has confirmed to the BBC that North Korea infiltrated the personal emails of an aide ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK last November.

The breach occurred when the staff member used a personal email account for official purposes, according to the South Korea’s president’s office.

A high-ranking government source, as reported by the Kukmin Ilbo newspaper, stated that hackers obtained access to Mr. Yoon’s trip schedule and pilfered messages sent by the president.

Although the president’s office did not disclose the exact information stolen, this incident marks the first successful hacking attempt by North Korea against a member of the South Korean president’s team.

The president’s office emphasized that its security system had not been breached, stating to the BBC that the incident resulted from an individual administrator’s careless violation of security protocols, who used a commercial email for official purposes.

North Korea employs cyber hacking techniques to pilfer both funds and sensitive information, with their methods growing increasingly sophisticated over time.

Given the severe international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang, its cyber operatives target cryptocurrency and other resources to finance the regime and its nuclear armament efforts, purportedly amassing up to $3 billion since 2016.

Moreover, North Korea is suspected of orchestrating hacks to acquire classified state secrets, including data on advanced weaponry.

A source within the South Korean government, speaking anonymously to the Kukmin Ilbo, expressed profound shock and dismay upon learning of the breach, emphasizing its potential to jeopardize Mr. Yoon’s security during international travels.

President Yoon embarked on a three-day state visit to London in November, during which he convened with King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The South Korean government stated that the incident had been identified prior to the president’s departure for the trip, and appropriate actions were taken to resolve it.

Additionally, it outlined measures to enhance its security protocols, including heightened awareness among its personnel, aimed at averting similar incidents in the future.

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