N. Korea Recalls Troops as South Tightens Cyber Security

North Korean troop movements following former leader Kim Jong Il’s death do not indicate any imminent provocation, according to authorities in Seoul who said they had taken steps to thwart potential cyber attacks.

Units returning to bases overnight conducted annual winter drills, the South’s defense ministry said in a statement given to reporters today in the capital. Still, the cyber alert level is now at “infocon 4,” which indicates signs of a “general threat,” defense ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok told reporters.

With reports from the official Korean Central News Agency referring to Kim’s son as the “great successor,” investors bought South Korean stocks and the won amid the relative calm. Kim Jong Il’s death was announced at noon yesterday.

“Most likely North Korea is going to be quite stable in the short term,” David Kang, director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California, said by telephone today. “There is really no question about who is going to take over, the only question is when.”

The Korean Communications Commission raised its alert level to “caution,” according to a statement yesterday. Both alerts are one notch above authorities’ standard default for cyber vigilance.

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