North Korea tried to steal information about COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments by hacking into drugmaker Pfizer, a South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday.
Ha Tae-keung said he and other lawmakers have been briefed by South Korea’s intelligence agency about the North’s efforts to obtain coronavirus-related technology.
“There were attempts to steal the COVID vaccine and treatment technology during cyber attacks and Pfizer was hacked,” he said.
The spy agency denied naming the drug company, but Ha said he saw documents saying, “North Korea has stolen Pfizer (vaccine information).”
Ha said lawmakers were required to return the documents at the end of the closed-door briefing, but added that the wording about Pfizer was “so clear I didn’t even ask verbally.”
Pfizer did not immediately comment.
The alleged hacking comes after reports last year that North Korea was trying 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 infections since the start of the pandemic – a claim widely questioned by experts who note that it shares a border with China, the original epicenter of the outbreak.
With pole wires