Korea joins Asia-Pacific cybersecurity drill

South Korea has participated in an international exercise against cyber terror this week, the government said Thursday, amid growing threats from North Korea.

The Asia-Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team, a coalition of regional countries on promoting cybersecurity, conducted the annual drill on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.

With the theme of "An Evolving Cyber Threat and Financial Fraud," it was joined by South Korea and 25 other nations.

They reviewed the overall response system in the event of a cyberattack, including the joint analysis of the situation, an emergency response and real-time sharing of information, the ministry said.

They also focused on ways to deal with email hacking and ransomware, a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their systems.

South Korea is currently on high alert for North Korean cyberattacks.

The secretive North has been increasingly attempting to hack the smartphones of South Korean military commanders and senior government officials on national security, according to the South's state intelligence agency. (Yonhap)