The South Korean government accused North Korea of attempting seven different cyberattacks against its Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology between Jan. 2020 and July 2020, according to a government press release. If true, the attempts would mark the first North Korea-attributed cyberattacks against the South Korean science ministry since 2016.

In the first seven months of 2020, the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT recorded 3,112 cyberattack attempts from various parts of the world. Overall, the ministry also reported an exceptional increase in attacks between 2017 and 2019, with 2020 being on track for a yearly increase, as well.