South Korea braces for crippling EMP attack from North Korea

South Korea fears Kim Jong-un may order a devastating electromagnetic pulse attack aimed at destroying the country’s financial infrastructure. It is also worried North Korea may even target an EMP strike on its nuclear power stations, airlines, and government ministries. The country has been the target of successful North Korean hacking attacks in the past and there are now growing concerns the nation’s financial institutions will be the next target. An EMP attack – either sparked by a nuclear blast or a pulse weapon  –

would quickly bring the South’s financial institutions to their knees. Now the national banks are looking into establishing data centers overseas, The Korea Herald reported. Others are looking to build reinforced repositories designed to withstand the blast of a powerful EMP weapon. Electronic equipment exposed to an electromagnetic pulse can experience damaging current and voltage surges, while data stored electronically can be corrupted. “Current regulations prohibit the transfer of client information overseas, so we are discussing ways to revise those rules so we can set up data back-up centers abroad”, a financial official told the newspaper. READ MORE