“For the past 70 years, the North Korean regime has worked tirelessly to bring down our liberal democratic system, and in years with important political events, it has constantly carried out social disturbances, psychological warfare and provocations,” he said. “And this year, border area provocations, drone infiltration, fake news, cyberattacks and other provocations are expected to influence the elections.”

The North conducted a series of cruise missile tests last Wednesday, Sunday and Tuesday, seemingly posing a threat directed at South Korea.

South Korean intelligence authorities are warning about the growing risks of cyberattacks by the North, such as hacking attempts on the election authority, fake news and propaganda using deepfake technologies.

“North Korea’s cyberattacks have the potential to shut down government functions and disrupt the daily lives of the people,” Yoon said.

“Also, society could experience significant chaos through fake news and false propaganda. We have to discuss measures to prevent cyberattacks on the country’s key infrastructure and block fake news and propaganda.”

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Traditionally, the North has staged various types of provocations before major elections in South Korea, including the 2010 sinking of the ROKS Cheonan, which took place three months before the local polls.

Due to this historical pattern, South Korea has braced for the so-called “North Wind”, a term widely used until the late 1990s referring to the strategy where conservatives in the South leverage provocations from the North to influence the sense of security among the South Korean people, aiming to persuade them to choose a conservative candidate.

In a separate press conference on Wednesday, the main opposition Democratic Party’s Chairman Lee Jae-myung claimed that the Yoon administration’s North Korea policy was only escalating the risks of war by mentioning the term North Wind.

“If, by any chance, the Yoon administration attempts to play a war game for political gains like the North Wind, it should stop immediately,” Lee said.

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North Korea, China vow to deepen ties as Pyongyang conducts new missile tests

North Korea, China vow to deepen ties as Pyongyang conducts new missile tests

‘Irrational group’

During the defence meeting, Yoon said the North Korean regime was “the only irrational group in the world that has legalised the pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons”.

“A rational regime will abandon its nuclear weapons and look for ways to save its people, but the North Korean regime is doing everything it can only to maintain its hereditary, totalitarian rule,” Yoon said.

“Also, the regime is now trading weapons with Russia, blatantly neglecting international laws and United Nations Security Council resolutions. This is a very threatening provocation to the security of not only the Korean peninsula but also the international community.”

This is the second time that Yoon presided over the annual central integrated defence council meeting. The presidential office said Yoon had opted to take part in the meeting due to the increasingly serious security environment, prompted by Pyongyang’s recent rhetoric characterising inter-Korean relations as those of hostile nations and issuing threats to annihilate Seoul.

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“Such actions are antinational and anti-unification, and provocations and threats that run counter to our history,” Yoon said.

In the meeting, the government conducted risk assessments and examined response measures, focusing on scenarios involving North Korea’s potential provocations using long-range artillery. Each ministry and agency presented updates on the present security situation, civil defence preparedness, and the assessment of the integrated defence posture.