La traducción al español está en camino; mientras tanto se muestra la versión en inglés.
Voicemail of North Korea's UN mission in New York appears hacked, CNN reports
Versión 2: New outlets have joined the story: Dong-A Ilbo called the number itself and quoted the recording, and Seoul Shinmun reported in a headline that the voicemail had been left hacked and unattended for three years, a longer period than the three-year window CNN described.
En breve
CNN reported on October 6 that the voicemail of the landline listed for North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York appeared to have been hacked, playing a voice that mocked North Korea's chronic food shortage and told callers who wanted to reach Kim Jong Un to leave a message. Dong-A Ilbo said it called the number on the morning of October 7 and heard the recording still in place, while Seoul Shinmun said in a headline that the voicemail had been left unattended for three years. The number is listed in the UN member-state directory and appeared in a North Korean vice foreign minister's UN General Assembly speech text last month.
Leer la noticia completa 2 min de lectura
CNN reported on October 6 that the voicemail of the landline listed for North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York appeared to have been hacked. According to CNN, a call in late September was not connected and went to voicemail, where a high-pitched voice imitating an East Asian accent joked about North Korea's chronic food shortage, told callers who wanted to reach Kim Jong Un to leave a message, and added that whoever did so, someone might get to eat soon. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
The number is listed in the UN member-state directory and appeared in the text of Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong's UN General Assembly speech last month, according to the reports, which describe it as one of the few ways to reach the North Korean government. Dong-A Ilbo said it called the number on the morning of October 7 and heard the recording still in place; the newspaper said the voice, in awkward grammar and accent, called North Korea “best Korea,” said “we starve our people,” and told callers who want to speak to Kim Jong Un to leave a message. Newsis reported in its headline that the voicemail carried a mocking message about Kim Jong Un, and Seoul Shinmun said in a headline that the voicemail had been hacked and left unattended for three years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
CNN said the voicemail appeared to have been hacked at an unspecified point in the past three years, citing David Maxwell, vice president of the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center, who called the same number in November 2023 and reached an ordinary greeting. The North Korean mission did not answer CNN's email queries, and staff at its New York office, shown the message in person, said in surprise that the number was not theirs, the reports said. CNN said the number also appeared in Kim Son Gyong's speech text and that the mocking message was still in place as of October 6. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Experts said it was not immediately possible to identify who altered the message and that changing a voicemail greeting may not require much effort. Martin Bigo, a cybersecurity researcher, told CNN that many people keep the default password issued by their carrier, usually the last four digits of the phone number, and that a program that automatically dials number combinations could reach a voicemail quickly for as little as $40. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Analysts cited in the reports said the incident reflects how US-North Korea relations have changed. The office once served as the main channel between Washington and Pyongyang, known as the New York channel, but a series of attempts to halt North Korea's nuclear program ended in failure and the limited diplomatic contact between the two countries has faded. Joel Wit, a former US State Department North Korea official, said “today the New York channel has virtually lost its function,” adding that whoever hacked the voicemail may not have known that it illustrates the state of US-North Korea relations. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Por qué importa
The line belongs to North Korea's only diplomatic mission on the US mainland, which analysts cited in the reports describe as the former main contact channel between Washington and Pyongyang. The reports say the incident illustrates how far US-North Korea relations have declined and how little the channel now functions. The reports also say changing a voicemail greeting can be simple, which bears on an official contact line published in UN documents.
Datos clave
- CNN reported on October 6 that the voicemail of the landline listed for North Korea's UN mission in New York appeared to have been hacked. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Instead of a normal greeting, the voicemail played a voice mocking North Korea's food shortage and telling callers who wanted to contact Kim Jong Un to leave a message. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The number is listed in the UN member-state directory and appeared in Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong's UN General Assembly speech text last month. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- CNN said the voicemail appeared to have been hacked at an unspecified point in the past three years, while David Maxwell reached an ordinary greeting on the same number in November 2023. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo said its call on the morning of October 7 reached the recording, in which a voice said “North Korea is best Korea” and “we starve our people.” [ 5 ]
- Seoul Shinmun said in a headline that the voicemail had been left unattended for three years. [ 6 ]
- The North Korean mission did not answer CNN's emailed questions, and staff at its New York office denied the number was theirs when CNN played the message in person. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Former US State Department North Korea official Joel Wit said the New York channel has virtually lost its function. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- CNN reported on October 6 that the voicemail of the landline listed for North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York appeared to have been hacked. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The voicemail played a voice mocking North Korea's food shortage, telling callers who wanted to contact Kim Jong Un to leave a message and suggesting someone might get to eat soon. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The number is listed in the UN member-state directory and appeared in Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong's UN General Assembly speech text last month. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The North Korean mission did not answer CNN's emailed questions, and staff at its New York office, shown the message in person, said the number was not theirs. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- CNN said the voicemail appeared to have been hacked at an unspecified point in the past three years, and David Maxwell reached a normal greeting on the number in November 2023. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Joel Wit, a former US State Department North Korea official, said the New York channel has virtually lost its function. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- Who altered the voicemail, and when exactly it happened. CNN said the voicemail appeared to have been hacked at some point in the past three years, and experts cited in the reports said the attacker could not be identified immediately.
- Whether the number that CNN and Dong-A Ilbo called is in fact the mission's. Staff at the New York office told CNN the number was not theirs, while the reports say it is listed in UN documents and in a North Korean vice foreign minister's UN General Assembly speech text.
- How long the message has been left in place. Seoul Shinmun says in its headline that the hacking was left unattended for three years, while the other documents describe only the past-three-years window suggested by CNN.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- David Maxwell, vice president of the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center, calls the number and reaches an ordinary voicemail greeting, according to CNN. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- CNN reports that the North Korean mission's voicemail appears to have been hacked and that the mocking message was still playing as of that day. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- A Dong-A Ilbo reporter calls the number in the morning and hears the recording still in place. [ 5 ]
- Yonhap reports the suspected hacking, citing CNN. [ 1 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes its report on the suspected hacking. [ 2 ]
- Newsis publishes its headline that the UN mission's voicemail carried a mocking message about Kim Jong Un. [ 3 ]
- Electronic Times publishes its report, including the security explanation. [ 4 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo publishes its own call to the number and quotes from the recording. [ 5 ]
- Seoul Shinmun publishes a headline saying the hacking was left unattended for three years. [ 6 ]