S. Korea blames North for cyberattacks

SEOUL, April 10 (UPI) -- The North Korean government was behind cyberattacks on financial companies and media broadcasters in March, the South Korean government said Wednesday.

Television broadcasters and financial companies were infected by malware last month in South Korea. Lee Seung-won, a lawmaker from the South Korean Ministry of Science, said Wednesday that all signs pointed to North Korea.

"An analysis of cyberterror access logs, malicious code and North Korean intelligence showed that the attack methods were similar to those used by the North's Reconnaissance General Bureau, which has led hacking attacks against South Korea," he was quoted by South Korean news agency Yonhap as saying.

Yonhap reports the website for the Korean Broadcasting System and online transactions of NongHyup Bank were disrupted briefly Wednesday.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are high following a U.N. Security Council decision to censure North Korea for a February underground nuclear test. Japan deployed mobile Patriot missile defense systems in preparation for what's expected to be an imminent missile launch from North Korea.

Senior military officials were cited Wednesday by Yonhap as saying on condition of anonymity that the South Korean military by June will deploy its own missile defense system to defend against North Korean threats.