Claim: North Korea Has 6,000 Hackers Who Are Able To 'Destroy Cities'

REUTERS/KCNA

The Independent: North Korea's hacker army 'could kill people and destroy cities', says defector who trained them

Thousands of military hackers in North Korea could launch cyber attacks that could “kill people and destroy cities”, a defector has warned.

Professor Kim Heung-Kwang saw his brightest computing students picked for Bureau 121 to become “cyber warriors” for Kim Jong-un before he fled the country in 2004.

“The size of the cyber-attack agency has increased significantly, and now has approximately 6,000 people,” he told BBC Click.

“The reason North Korea has been harassing other countries is to demonstrate that North Korea has cyber war capacity.

“Their cyber-attacks could have similar impacts as military attacks, killing people and destroying cities.”

More News On North Korea's Bureau 121

North Korean hackers 'could kill', warns key defector -- BBC
A defector says North Korea's hacker army is capable of 'destroying cities' -- Business Insider
North Korea is capable of launching lethal cyber attacks that could destroy cities with 6,000-strong army of hackers claims professor who defected in 2004 -- Daily Mail
N Korea Military Hackers Could Launch Deadly Attacks – Prominent Dissident -- Sputnik
Bureau 121: North Korea's elite hackers and a 'tasteful' hotel in China -- BBC
Bureau 121: How good are Kim Jong-un's elite hackers? -- Dave Lee, BBC