Police prepares against cyber terror

To effectively counter the rising number of computer-related crimes, the police has said that it will expanded the existing "cyber-crimes investigation squad team" at the National Police Agency (NPA) into a "anti-cyber terror response center."

The NPA held the opening ceremony of the center on Tuesday at its main building in Mikun-dong, Seodaemun-ku, Seoul. Senior superintendent Ha Ok-Hyon will head the center.

The center will be investing more than 10 billion won annually, expanding on its investigation personnel from the current 14 to 72 and equipping itself with the cutting-edge facilities with an overall view to protecting the national information infrastructure.

To ensure better expertise, the police will be recruiting 27 experts from the private sector, and plans to consign its internal personnel training to private-sector security experts companies.

The NPA said the center will also step up cooperation with police agencies of advanced countries of like the U.S. and Japan, as cyber crime knows no national boundaries.

The number of cyber crimes in the nation has been climbing. In 1998, the number of cyber crimes posted 434 cases, 951 cases in 1999. So far, only five months in to the year, cyber crimes posted 895, showing a 100 percent increase every year.