1. Why did Cyber Command back off its recent plans to call out North Korean hacking?
2. Kim Jong Un: South Korean facilities in Mt. Kumgang resort must be removed
3. Deeper inter-Korean economic cooperation necessary to prevent return to confrontation
4. S. Korea becomes largest donor for N. Korea this year
5. N.K. leader criticizes father's policy to depend on S. Korea for Mount Kumgang resort
6. N.K. leader's wife appears in state media after 4-month absence
7. Defectors Send Flyers to N.Korea to Denounce World Cup Qualifier Fiasco
8. N. Korea brings up Yeonpyeong Island to threaten
1. Why did Cyber Command back off its recent plans to call out North Korean hacking?
If this is an accurate report I would like to understand the rationale. The Kim family regime's "all purpose sword" is a critical capability for regime survival. We need to attack the regime's cyber strategy and cyber capabilities. But I would be interested in knowing the rationale for backing off if in fact this report is accurate.
Why did Cyber Command back off its recent plans to call out North Korean hacking? - CyberScoop
cyberscoop.com · by Shannon Vavra · October 22, 2019
Written by
Shannon Vavra
Oct 22, 2019 | CYBERSCOOP
U.S. Cyber Command was on the verge of again publicly calling out North Korean hackers for targeting the financial sector in late September, but ultimately backed off the plan by early October, multiple sources familiar with the decision tell CyberScoop.
The announcement was to be part of a
Cyber Command effort to publicly share malware samples on
VirusTotal, a web platform dedicated to tracking malware. Led by Cyber Command's
Cyber National Mission Force, those postings are intended to call out adversary-linked hacking in the hopes that it will deter groups from similar efforts in the future.
It wasn't clear why the decision was made to refrain from publicly posting
malware samples this time around, despite the fact that Cyber Command has done so numerous times in recent months. It didn't appear to be an issue of accuracy - the Pentagon outfit still decided to share private advisories with threat intelligence companies and the
financial sector.
A number of experts who saw the malware analysis report told CyberScoop it can be attributed to
Lazarus Group, a nation-state hacking group with ties to
North Korea.
FASTCash redux
It's unclear whether the available information about the malware's makeup and targets provide any clarity about why Cyber Command pulled its punches.
Neil Jenkins, the
Cyber Threat Alliance's chief analytic officer, told CyberScoop the samples resemble malware exposed in a 2018 announcement from the U.S. government that detailed a
Lazarus Group campaign in which it allegedly stole tens of millions of dollars from
ATMs in Africa and Asia, dubbed
FASTCash.
FireEye, which also attributes the samples to Lazarus Group, told CyberScoop the malware is designed to alter ATM requests.
The
Cyber Threat Alliance, whose member companies share threat information among themselves, received advanced warning on Sept. 30 from the
Department of Homeland Security about Cyber Command's intention to post the malware to VirusTotal, Jenkins told CyberScoop.
But that same day, someone posted the samples to VirusTotal and the
Pentagon's plan was called off. It's unknown exactly who was responsible for the VirusTotal upload.
Hours later, Pyongyang and Washington agreed to resume
denuclearization talks, which would be the first time North Korea and the U.S. had discussed the matter since February.
Cyber Command declined to comment on why they decided not to post the malware publicly.
VirusTotal: Foreign policy tool or defense enhancement?
But the agency also has been calling out malware that the security community already had on its radar, in what appears to be an attempt to change adversaries' behavior.
Even with those announcements, Cyber Command's VirusTotal use is not yet a full-blown foreign policy tool, says Dave Weinstein,
Claroty's Chief Security Officer and a former employee at Cyber Command.
"The cost to [North Korea] of [Cyber Command] posting the malware just isn't that high at this point," said Weinstein. "Don't get me wrong, I think [Cyber Command] is doing a great job with posting malware samples. But right now it's all about empowering cyber defenders, not non-proliferation [efforts of] diplomats."
Cyber Command's attention to
North Korean malware first cropped up in August, days after North Korea claims to have launched a short-range ballistic missile. It also came a month after a promise between the U.S. and North Korea to hold further denuclearization talks had stalled.
In September, Cyber Command posted its largest-ever set of malware to VirusTotal, which security researchers linked with
North Korea. That same day,
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration hoped to resume talks with Pyongyang. The
U.S. Treasury Department that week followed up by sanctioning three hacking groups working at the behest of North Korea, including Lazarus Group.
cyberscoop.com · by Shannon Vavra · October 22, 2019
2. Kim Jong Un: South Korean facilities in Mt. Kumgang resort must be removed
Excerpts:
But Kim, while inspecting the tourist spot on the east coast of North Korea, said it was a "mistaken idea" for Mt Kumgang to be viewed as a symbol of North-South relations.
The resort is North Korean soil, and tourism there must not be under the control of South Korea, Kim said.
"We will always welcome our compatriots from the south if they want to come to Mt Kumgang after it is wonderfully built as the world-level tourist destination," Kim added.
North and South Korea had been exploring the prospect of re-starting joint economic projects before a recent cooling in relations. North Korea has criticized the South for adopting high-tech weapons and continuing joint military drills with the United States.
Kim Jong Un: South Korean facilities in Mt. Kumgang resort must be removed - KCNA
Reuters · by Joyce Lee4 Min Read · October 23, 2019
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said South Korean facilities in the North's Mt Kumgang tourist resort must be removed and rebuilt in a modern way, state media reported on Wednesday, underscoring the cooling of relations between the two countries.
Mt Kumgang, along with the Kaesong industrial zone, has been one of two major inter-Korean economic projects and symbol of cooperation between the two Koreas during decades of hostilities following the Korean War.
But Kim, while inspecting the tourist spot on the east coast of North Korea, said it was a "mistaken idea" for Mt Kumgang to be viewed as a symbol of North-South relations.
The resort is North Korean soil, and tourism there must not be under the control of South Korea, Kim said.
"We will always welcome our compatriots from the south if they want to come to Mt Kumgang after it is wonderfully built as the world-level tourist destination," Kim added.
North and South Korea had been exploring the prospect of re-starting joint economic projects before a recent cooling in relations. North Korea has criticized the South for adopting high-tech weapons and continuing joint military drills with the United States.
South Koreans were allowed to visit Mt Kumgang starting in 1998 by sea and from 2003 by land, with South Korean firms such as Hyundai Asan Corp and Ananti Inc investing in the tourist spot.
However, South Korea suspended tours to Mt Kumgang in 2008 after a North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean tourist who had wandered unknowingly into a military area.
South Korea-funded facilities have remained there since then, but tours from the South have not resumed amid international sanctions trying to force North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programs.
Only infrequent inter-Korean events, such as reunions of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War, have been held there since.
Kim criticized the "mistaken policy of the predecessors" who were dependent on others to develop the tourist spot, and said Mt Kumgang must be taken care of as part of a larger tourist area that encompasses the mountain and the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area, KCNA said.
Tourism has increasingly became one of the focal industries not under international sanctions central to Kim's policy of 'self-reliant' economic growth.
"The entire people should cherish the belief that self-reliance is the only way to live," North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in a separate commentary on Wednesday. "There is nothing more foolish than to expect help from others today."
Kim said North Korea should seek agreement with relevant South Korean authorities on the removal of the facilities, KCNA added.
The resumption of Mt Kumgang tours has been repeatedly mentioned as a possibility by South Korean President Moon Jae-in in recent years.
During a summit with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in September 2018, Moon and Kim had agreed to normalize Mt Kumgang tours and the Kaesong industrial complex "as soon as the environment is created," Moon announced at the time.
In April, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked his stance on the possibility of restarting tours to Mt. Kumgang before a summit with Moon.
"This isn't the right time, but at the right time I'd have great support," Trump said, according to South Korean presidential office records.
"They have unbelievable location... surrounded by sea on two sides, the other side Russia, and China and over here SK," Trump said, referring to North Korea. "You just can't do better than that. And they have magnificent land. It has tremendous potential."
Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Sandra Maler and Lincoln Feast
3. Deeper inter-Korean economic cooperation necessary to prevent return to confrontation
We have to avoid projects that feed money directly into the regime's royal economy that supports the regime and the nuclear and missile programs (i.e., Kaesong and Kumgang). I concur with Professor Kelly. The best economic engagement will be small and at the market level but of course that will pose at threat to the regime.
Prof. Robert Kelly of Pusan National University expressed skepticism over Seoul's push to build a peace economy, citing North Korea's track record of "gangster-like" behavior. He suggested the two Koreas take a small step from which they can dream big later.
"Given North's Korea's history of gangster-like behavior, the best way would be to start with small projects first," he said. "My recommendation would be to start small first, do minor achievable things, see if North Koreans actually stick to the rules in the agreement, and then build bigger from there."
He also raised the issue of the ambiguity of the term "peace economy," calling for an agreement among experts and government officials on what it means.
(LEAD) Deeper inter-Korean economic cooperation necessary to prevent return to confrontation | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · October 22, 2019
(ATTN: ADDS experts' views from para 8)
By Koh Byung-joon and Yi Won-ju
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho said Tuesday that deeper economic cooperation with North Korea would lower the chances of the two sides returning to the era of confrontation as he made a pitch for Seoul's push to build a "peace economy" through cooperation with Pyongyang.
"The deeper inter-Korean economic cooperation becomes, the harder it would be for us to return to the old rules of confrontation," Suh told a forum held in Seoul to discuss ways to establish a peace-based economy on the Korean Peninsula.
"If peace takes root, people start to visit each other freely and things go as far as they form a common economic community, could we say that is an actual reunification of the Korean Peninsula?" he added.
Suh noted that co-prosperity could be achieved if South and North Korea expand their cooperation significantly, adding the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas could be the starting point of such efforts.
Mentioning President Moon Jae-in's proposal during the U.N. General Assembly meeting last month to turn the DMZ into a peace zone free of land mines, he said that such a drive could create a "virtuous circle" by reducing the possibility of tensions between the two Koreas and guaranteeing security.
South Korea has been pushing for active economic cooperation with North Korea as a way to ease cross-border tensions and generate a peace mood that could be conducive to progress in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
Little progress, however, has been made as sanctions remain in place, blocking major economic cooperation with North Korea. The prospects for sanctions relief or lifting anytime soon remain bleak as denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington remain in limbo.
Experts who attended the forum voiced concerns about the challenges standing in the way of achieving a peace economy, citing sanctions, which they expected would not be lifted until there is marked progress in the North's denuclearization.
"We must realize that unless U.N. sanctions are lifted, we cannot move even a step forward," Kim Young-han, professor of Economics at Sungkyunkwan University, said. "The focus should be placed on how to create concrete momentum for lifting sanctions."
Prof. Robert Kelly of Pusan National University expressed skepticism over Seoul's push to build a peace economy, citing North Korea's track record of "gangster-like" behavior. He suggested the two Koreas take a small step from which they can dream big later.
"Given North's Korea's history of gangster-like behavior, the best way would be to start with small projects first," he said. "My recommendation would be to start small first, do minor achievable things, see if North Koreans actually stick to the rules in the agreement, and then build bigger from there."
He also raised the issue of the ambiguity of the term "peace economy," calling for an agreement among experts and government officials on what it means.
4. S. Korea becomes largest donor for N. Korea this year
S. Korea becomes largest donor for N. Korea this year | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · October 22, 2019
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has donated US$9 million to international aid agencies for their projects in North Korea so far this year, becoming the largest donor for the impoverished state, data showed Tuesday.
According to the data from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), South Korea's total donation accounted for 29.5 percent of the $30.55 million that has been contributed to U.N. and other global aid agencies this year.
The South Korean government donated $8 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) and the U.N. Children's Fund in June for their assistance projects in the North. In the same month, the city of Seoul contributed $1 million to the WFP.
Switzerland came second by donating $8.03 million, followed by Sweden and Russia with $5.12 million and 4 million, respectively, the data showed.
North Korea is reportedly facing worsening food shortages due to unfavorable weather conditions and a lack of fertilizer and other necessary farming equipment caused by the global sanctions on Pyongyang.
5. N.K. leader criticizes father's policy to depend on S. Korea for Mount Kumgang resort
This is certainly an unusual development. I cannot recall an example of such criticism made in public.
(3rd LD) N.K. leader criticizes father's policy to depend on S. Korea for Mount Kumgang resort | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · October 23, 2019
(ATTN: CHANGES headline, first 2 paras; ADDS details throughout)
By Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticized his late father's policy of depending on South Korea for the development of the Mount Kumgang resort on the east coast once jointly run by the two Koreas, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday.
During "field guidance" to the mountain, Kim also ordered the removal of "all the unpleasant-looking facilities" built by South Korea and construction of the country's own "modern service facilities," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"The mountain was left uncared for more than ten years to leave a flaw and the land is worthy of better cause. He made a sharp criticism of the very wrong, dependent policy of the predecessors who were going to rely on others when the country was not strong enough," the Korean Central News Agency said in English.
"He instructed to remove all the unpleasant-looking facilities of the south side with an agreement with the relevant unit of the south side and to build new modern service facilities our own way that go well with the natural scenery of Mt. Kumgang," it added.
Tours to Mount Kumgang were launched in 1998 amid thawing inter-Korean relations, but they were suspended in 2008 after a female tourist was shot to death by a North Korean guard.
The tour program was regarded as one of the major inter-Korean cooperative projects, along with the now-suspended industrial park in the North's border town of Kaesong. Both were carried out when Kim's late father, Kim Jong-il, was in power.
It is very rare for Kim to publicly criticize one of his father's policies in a country where leaders' decisions are regarded as always right and bulletproof.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim agreed in September to resume the tour program and the Kaesong industrial park as soon as conditions are met.
Seoul has sought its resumption in the hope that the cross-border project could reduce tensions and contribute to denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington. But little progress has been made in the face of sanctions banning economic projects involving North Korea.
Pyongyang has repeatedly called for the implementation of the agreement and demanded Seoul take initiative in inter-Korean affairs independent of intervention by the United States.
Kim's trip to Mount Kumgang and calls for the development of the area without South Korea appears to be aimed at expressing displeasure with little prospect for the resumption of the tour program anytime soon amid stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
Kim said it is a "mistaken idea" and a "misguided understanding" to say that Mount Kumgang is a common property of the two Koreas and tours to the mountain will not be possible without the development of inter-Korean relations.
"Mt. Kumgang is our land won at the cost of blood and even a cliff and a tree on it are associated with our sovereignty and dignity," he was quoted as saying. "He set forth detailed tasks for wonderfully developing modern cultural tourist resort in Mt. Kumgang area so that the people can rest, fully enjoying the natural scenery of the country."
Kim also instructed the building up of surrounding regions, such as "the Kosong Port coastal tourist area, Pirobong mountaineering tourist area, Haegumgang coastal park area and sports cultural area" as part of efforts of a master development plan for Mount Kumgang.
He kept the door open to South Koreans seeking to visit the mountain but affirmed that it is not South Korea's right but the North's to lead the tour program there.
"We will always welcome our compatriots from the south if they want to come to Mt. Kumgang after it is wonderfully built as the world-level tourist destination but what is important is for our people to have the shared view that it is not desirable to let the south side undertake the tour of Mt. Kumgang, our famous mountain," he said.
Kim was accompanied by close aides and senior party officials, including his sister Kim Yo-jong, spy chief Jang Kum-chol and First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
His wife, Ri Sol-ju, was also seen in photos released by the KCNA, though her name was not mentioned in the media. It is her first reported activity in about four months as she has been absent from public view since June.
6. N.K. leader's wife appears in state media after 4-month absence
She's back. Seems like every time the press or the intelligence services comment on her absence she reappears.
N.K. leader's wife appears in state media after 4-month absence | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · October 23, 2019
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- The wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared in state media reports following an approximate four-month absence from public view.
Ri Sol-ju was seen in photos released on Wednesday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) accompanying Kim on his "field guidance" trip to the Mount Kumgang resort on the country's scenic east coast.
It was her first reported public activity since June, though her name was not mentioned among those who followed Kim on his trip to the mountain.
She was last seen in public when Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to Pyongyang on June 20 and 21. After that, she disappeared from state media reports for 122 days, her husband making public appearances without her.
Ri's relatively long disappearance from state media was considered unusual. Since state media began referring to her as "first lady" last year instead of "comrade," she was usually mentioned in media reports at least once a month.
During her absence, Kim's younger sister Kim Yo-jong appeared to have filled in for her, accompanying the leader at major events.
She was among those accompanying Kim on his recent horseback ride at Mount Paekdu, considered as one of the country's most sacred mountains. She was also seen with Kim on the Mount Kumgang trip.
.
7. Defectors Send Flyers to N.Korea to Denounce World Cup Qualifier Fiasco
We need a sophisticated and comprehensive information and influence activities campaign and we need to employ the expertise of those who have escaped from the north.
Defectors Send Flyers to N.Korea to Denounce World Cup Qualifier Fiasco
english.chosun.com
An activist group of North Korean defectors launched balloons carrying propaganda leaflets and other materials into North Korea in Gimpo near the demilitarized zone.
They floated some 20 huge helium balloons carrying 500,000 flyers, 500 booklets, 2,000 US$1 bills, and 1,000 USB sticks into North Korea from the border town of Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday.
The booklets and USBs are mostly focused on shedding light on freedom in a democratic society, in addition to the economic development of South Korea.
"We decided to float flyers to condemn North Korea over a recent World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang, which was held in an empty stadium without any media coverage or spectators," said one activist.
The South Korean government has kept silent over the issue, even though football fans here and international media have called for North Korea to be punished.
North Korea did not allow South Korean reporters or cheerleaders to travel to Pyongyang for the match, which was wild at times, with players from the two Koreas apparently clashing.
8. N. Korea brings up Yeonpyeong Island to threaten
Possible messaging telegraphing a future provocation? Or designed to put pressure on the Moon Administration?
N. Korea brings up Yeonpyeong Island to threaten
donga.com
Posted October. 22, 2019 07:31,
Updated October. 22, 2019 07:31
N. Korea brings up Yeonpyeong Island to threaten. October. 22, 2019 07:31. .
North Korea's propaganda media outlet has recently released a video titled "Have you already forgotten (what happened on) Yeonpyeong Island?" on its website. This comes after South Korea's Marine Corps commandant Lt. Gen. Lee Seung-do said during an audit last Tuesday that his service has drawn up a scheme to lay Hambak Island in ashes in case of emergency. In response to Lee's remarks, the North said that even after the 2010 bombardment of Yeonpyeong, the South has failed to come to it senses and is acting thoughtlessly.
Pyongyang has been making more and more reckless remarks against Seoul, while using menacing words to raise tensions between the two Koreas is a typical tactic employed by the North. The attack on Yeonpyeong Island was a devastating incident that took the lives of two South Korean civilians and two marines. Lt. Gen. Lee was a commanding officer of the unit on the island and responded immediately when the North fired artillery shells and rockets, even hitting civilian targets for the first time since the Korean War. It is only natural for Lee to have a strike plan for any contingencies to neutralize North Korean facilities on Hambak Island, which is located above the Northern Limit Line (NLL) but has the lot number of South Korea. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo also evaluated Lee's comment as having shown "strong willingness" to defend the country.
However, it remains doubtful whether we can say for sure that our military clearly remembers the attack on Yeonpyeong Island. When asked by an opposition lawmaker to issue a state of protest, Jeong said there is no need to respond to each and every move by the North. Yet, though we need not to seriously engage in verbal arguments with Pyongyang, the defense minister's response leaves an uncomfortable feeling behind as he previously said that the Cheonan ship sinking and the bombardment of Yeonpyeong were "unpleasant collisions that took place in the Yellow Sea." North Korea's brazen attitude could be seen as a result of the Seoul government's generous policies toward Pyongyang which have been put in place in the name of the inter-Korean reconciliation.
The sound of gunfire has stopped since last year near the NLL in the Yellow Sea, as both Koreas agreed to halt all fire drills. South Korea's marine units stopped conducting drills with K-9 self-propelled artillery at the five islands of the West Sea, having instead firing exercises on land. Still, there has been no progress on this front since then. Nevertheless, North Korea is rather going back to the way it used to rely on to threaten the South. The military does not talk but shows what it could do through its preparedness and readiness posture. We should keep in mind that the North may mistake the South's patience and tolerance for weakness and carelessness.
한국어
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