In one college major at Seoul’s elite Korea University, the courses are known only by number, and students keep their identities a secret from outsiders.
The Cyber Defense curriculum, funded by the Defense Ministry, trains young keyboard warriors who get a free education in exchange for a seven-year commitment as officers in the army’s cyberwarfare unit — and its ongoing conflict with North Korea.
North and South Korea remain in a technical state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armed truce. Besides Pyongyang’s nuclear and rocket programs, South Korea says the North has a strong cyberarmy, which it has blamed for a series of attacks over the past three years.