this is the Technology Report.North Korea is often seen as a poor country,cut off from the world and technologically out of date.But officials in South Koreahave linked North Korea to recent attackson computers and computer information systems,and they described the North's abilityto carry out such attacks as world class.South Korea's spy agencyrecently made the claims at a meetingwith a committee of the South Korean National assembly.The national Intelligence Service(NIS) saidNorth Korea has trained what the NIS calls a cyber army,these computer experts can affectthe electronic communications and records of individuals,businesses and even governments.The NIS described seven North Korean hacking organizationsand the group of spies operating in China and Japan.It noted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sayscyber warfare is just as important as missiles and nuclear weapons.Seo Sang-ki is chairman of the assembly's Intelligence committee.He says North Korea established its hacking point in Chinabecause it just across the borderhas a highly developed Internet serviceand its activities can be protected.He says there appears to be about 1,700 North Korean hackersand 4,200 supporting agents operating in China.That number, he says, is increasing.He says they earn money by developing software in Chinaand perform hacking activitiesto collect national industrial secrets.The NIS confirmed a report that North Koreaopened the private documents of a South Korean IT companythat was stored in China.In October, South Korea's KBS TV reportedthat the attack may have been an effort to steal informationfrom Seoul's computer networks.Mr Seo would not name the company,and identified it only by using the letter "S."China usually denies the cyber attacksare launched from its territory.Kim Hung-kwang is president of the groupNorth Korea Intellectuals Solidarity.He says China knows that North Korean hackerslaunch attacks from inside China.But he notes that China has never arrestedor expelled any North Koreans.He says that is why it appears North Koreais carrying out the attacks under China's approval.North Korea is believed responsible for attacksearlier this year that affected tens of thousands of computers.South Korean officials say the economic costwas estimated at $800 million.And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English.更多听力请访问51voa.com