South Korea warned on Monday that North Korean cybercriminals have stepped up attacks targeting the construction and machinery sectors, in an apparent bid to support Kim Jong Un’s signature local development initiative.

Over the past year, DPRK threat actors have carried out campaigns against South Korean construction-related organizations and local officials involved in building projects, according to a joint advisory from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), prosecution service, police, Defense Counterintelligence Command and Cyber Operations Command.

The advisory linked the surge in attacks to the North Korean leader’s “20×10” local development policy unveiledin January, which aims