Park’s team embarrasses itself with North Korea hacking claim

Posted on : 2013-01-18 16:33 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Transition committee withdraws hacking accusation, says “There was some miscommunication”
 chairperson of the presidential transition committee
chairperson of the presidential transition committee

By Song Chae Kyung-hwa, staff reporter

A spokesperson the 18th presidential transition committee said on Jan. 17, “We have discovered that North Korea is hacking the press room.” Immediately following his comments, commotion broke out.

“The transition team have lost their minds,” said the Democratic United Party (DUP).

Head of the Transition Committee’s spokesperson’s office Lee Won-ki announced in the morning in the transition team’s pressroom in Seoul’s Samcheong neighborhood, “Yesterday a security check was run by the intelligence authorities. They detected hacking by North Korean.” But then as reports of North Korea hacking the presidential transition team were reported in the media, transition team spokesman Yoon Chang-jung said in an afternoon briefing, “There was some miscommunication in the announcement process.”

“The transition team is using a national server. But the press room uses business internet software, so it’s vulnerable to outside hacking attempts,” explained Yoon. “The security authorities have noted this. In the process of them asking journalists to ensure they regularly change passwords and use antivirus software to strengthen security, the transition team administrative office became confused.”

Im Jong-hoon, head of the Transition Committee’s administrative office, said of the incident, “I told Lee Won-ki about the security authorities’ recommendations on the system‘s vulnerability to hacking after I heard them. Lee has then gone and told this to journalists. He misreported an example of what could happen as what actually had happened. As far as the actual transition committee was concerned, we couldn’t know whether the team or the pressroom had been hacked. Only the security authorities knew that.”

“I don‘t know who said it first,” said Im, about who first mentioned North Korean hacking. “I’m sure it was used as an example of a potential hacking source.” Asked if it was the security authorities who mentioned North Korea, Im said, “There are lots of ways it could have been misinterpreted. It’s hard to give a precise reason or draw a firm conclusion.”

DUP deputy spokesperson Kim Jung-hyun commented, “Did the transition committee accuse North Korea of hacking without having investigated sufficiently? During the commotion that was caused, the public was worried about information leaking to North Korea. Though security is important, the transition should stay calm and not overreact. They should also do more to communicate with the public.”

 

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