North Korean espionage, with its theft of classified data and undercover agents, is disrupting global economic and military security.
For several decades, North Korea has been conducting a vast espionage campaign against South Korea and other nations, aimed at stealing military, political and economic data. This strategy includes cyberattacks, the deployment of undercover agents in Western companies, and even the theft of cryptocurrencies to finance its operations. Despite South Korea’s efforts to strengthen security, North Korean hackers regularly manage to penetrate South Korean defence systems and steal valuable information. The training programme for North Korean spies is extremely rigorous and includes immersion in South Korean culture, making these agents particularly effective. The economic crisis and shortages in North Korea exacerbate this situation, making it even more dependent on income from these illegal activities.
North Korean espionage: a permanent threat to South Korean security
North Korean espionage, particularly cyber attacks, is a major threat to South Korea. These attacks regularly target defence systems, critical infrastructure and even financial institutions. In 2023, more than 1,000 cyber attacks attributed to North Korea were recorded, with an estimated economic cost of more than €1.2 billion in terms of data loss and disruption. One of the most common methods is the infiltration of networks via malware or phishing campaigns, enabling classified information to be stolen.
Stolen information is not limited to military data. Crucial economic information, such as industrial projects and data on technology companies, has also been compromised. For example, in 2021, North Korea managed to hack into a South Korean energy project involving the development of new-generation nuclear reactors, thereby compromising a strategic technology.
Despite South Korea’s efforts to strengthen its defences, including the introduction of more sophisticated cyber security systems and collaboration with international agencies, North Korea continues to circumvent these measures. North Korea’s resilience is based on highly skilled hackers, often trained from an early age in specialised academies, where they learn to exploit vulnerabilities in enemy systems.
Infiltration of agents: an espionage strategy extended to an international scale
North Korean espionage is not limited to cyber attacks. Since the 2000s, North Korea has adopted a more traditional approach by infiltrating agents into Western companies. These agents are trained to mimic South Koreans, including their accent and culture, so as not to arouse suspicion. Around 200 agents are selected each year to undergo intensive four-year training, including in-depth study of South Korean popular culture and undercover missions. In general, around 100 of them succeed in infiltrating third countries and sensitive technology companies.
Undercover agents are tasked with gathering strategic information on military technologies and economic projects that North Korea wishes to exploit for its own use. For example, several agents have been identified in cybersecurity companies in the United States, where they have had access to information on defence technologies.
The deployment of trained agents gives North Korea access to cutting-edge technologies without the need to develop them in-house. This information is then used to circumvent international sanctions and continue to develop military programmes such as ballistic missiles and cyber defence systems.
The economic consequences of espionage and relations with Russia
North Korea’s theft of economic and technological data is not just for its own use. Since 2022, reports indicate that North Korea has been selling its stolen information and technology to Russia in exchange for food and supplies in times of shortage. In the midst of the food crisis, North Korea also agreed to sell weapons, including ballistic missiles and 152mm shells, to Russia in support of the war in Ukraine.
However, despite the great promises made to Russia, North Korean production capacity is limited. According to estimates for 2023, only 30% of Russian orders can be met due to material shortages and power cuts that paralyse North Korean factories. North Korea, which has long stockpiled weapons for a potential war with South Korea, finds itself unable to renew these stocks while meeting Russian orders. This situation is also jeopardising North Korea’s defence, which risks running out of ammunition in the event of a conflict.
Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia also highlights the growing interdependence between these two nations, both of which are under severe economic sanctions. For North Korea, revenues from the sale of arms and strategic information to Russia are crucial to maintaining an economy already weakened by decades of mismanagement and isolation.
The food and energy crisis in North Korea: a lever for espionage
North Korean espionage is partly fuelled by the country’s disastrous economic situation. The food crisis, exacerbated by international sanctions and shortages of natural resources, is driving the regime to step up its espionage efforts to obtain vital resources.
By 2020, more than 40% of the North Korean population was suffering from malnutrition, and the situation worsened with the outbreak of COVID-19, which forced the country to close its borders with China, the main supplier of food and medical supplies. Since then, North Korea has had to draw on its military reserves to feed its population, provoking a rise in discontent even among members of the army, historically loyal to the regime.
Electricity, another sector in crisis, is now available to less than 25% of North Korean households. The majority of regions, particularly in the north-east, only have access to electricity for an average of 2 hours a day. Aging energy infrastructure, combined with recurrent droughts, has crippled hydroelectric production, which accounts for a large proportion of the country’s energy. Solar panels, once seen as an alternative solution for households, can only make up for this situation on a small scale.
This energy deficit directly affects military production, reducing North Korea’s ability to supply arms to Russia and maintain its own defence. North Korean espionage efforts are therefore also aimed at compensating for these deficits by obtaining resources and technologies through illegal means.
North Korean espionage, whether in the form of cyber attacks, theft of technological information or arms sales, is a pillar of the Kim Jong-un regime’s economic and military survival. Faced with an increasingly critical domestic situation, North Korea is stepping up its infiltration and espionage efforts to compensate for its structural shortcomings, while fuelling international conflicts through arms sales.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.