Around 2,000 pro-North sites based overseas found

It was known Wednesday that military and investigation authorities uncovered 1,784 pro-North Korea Internet sites and social network service accounts operating in overseas servers. These sites and social network services attempted continuously to access South Korean Internet networks to post messages praising North Korea`s Kim Jong Un regime and slandering the South Korean regime.

According to materials obtained by Han Ki-ho, a member of both the leading Saenuri Party member and National Defense Committee, from the Defense Ministry, military and investigation authorities, as of the end of July, found 162 pro-North sites and 1,622 social network service accounts whose server is based overseas, and blocked 125 sites (the remaining 26 were self-closed and 11 are closely being observed) and 1,622 accounts in accessing South Korean servers. Han said, "When blocked, pro-North sites and social network service accounts change IPs and repeatedly try to access domestic servers."

The information authorities believe more than 90 percent pro-North sites and social network service accounts servers are operating in China. Server IPs were also found in the U.S., Japan and Europe. The information authorities assume that a considerable number of operators of these sites and social network services are top North Korean cyber agents.

Meanwhile, 12,000 pro-North postings appear on homepages of South Korea`s major institutions or on the Internet bulletin boards annually. According to Defense Ministry data, the military and investigation authorities found and deleted 37,130 pro-North postings between 2012 and August this year.