North Korea tried to steal information about COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments by hacking drug maker Pfizer, a South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday.
Ha Tae-keung said he and other lawmakers were briefed by the South Korean intelligence agency on North’s attempts to obtain coronavirus-related technology.
“There were attempts to steal COVID vaccine and treatment technology during cyberattacks and Pfizer was hacked,” he said.
The spy agency denied that it had mentioned the pharmaceutical company by its name, but Ha said it saw documents saying, “North Korea stole Pfizer (vaccine information).”
Ha said lawmakers had to return the documents at the end of the closed-door briefing, but added that the wording on Pfizer “was so clear that I didn’t even ask it verbally.”
Pfizer made no immediate comment.
The alleged hacking comes after it was reported last year that North Korea tried to break into the networks of at least nine healthcare companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Novavax Inc. and AstraZeneca.
The Hermit Kingdom has insisted it has not reported any coronavirus infection since the pandemic began, a statement highly questioned by experts who point out that it shares a border with China, the original epicenter of the outbreak.
With publishing cables