South Korea has ranked 13th in the Global Cybersecurity Index(GCI) released by the International Telecommunication Union(ITU).
North Korea placed 52nd out of 195 countries, securing a relatively high ranking compared to its economic power. The ranking comes as the North is suspected of being behind recent ransomware cyberattacks that occurred across the world.
In the first GCI report released in 2015, South Korea placed joint fifth with Germany, India, Japan and Britain. In the first report, many countries were ranked the same due to a lack of data. At that time, the North ranked at the bottom with its GCI standing at zero.
In the latest report, the ITU assessed that all the countries had flaws in their cyber security systems, apart from first place Singapore. The ITU added that wealthier countries failed to have defense systems against cyberattacks in place, even if they were often victims of cybercrimes.
The U.S. came in second followed by Malaysia, Oman, Estonia, Mauritius, Australia and France.
Source: KBS World Radio