Trump issues an executive order designating North Korea as a cyber threat nation. /Courtesy of the White House.

U.S. President Donald Trump has recently identified North Korea as a nation that poses a threat to the United States' cybersecurity in an executive order for the first time.

According to the White House website on the 3rd (local time), President Trump added North Korea, Russia, and Iran to the existing list of threats alongside China in an executive order aimed at enhancing cybersecurity, which he signed on the 6th of last month.

The executive order noted that "foreigners and criminals continue their cyber offensive targeting the United States and Americans," adding, "China poses the most active and persistent cybersecurity threat to the U.S. government, institutional sector, and critical infrastructure networks, but significant threats to U.S. cybersecurity are also arising from Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other countries."

Previously, an executive order announced by the Biden administration on Jan. 16 identified only China as a cyber threat country, but this time North Korea, Russia, and Iran were additionally specified.

At the same time, President Trump ordered relevant agencies, including the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security, to strengthen cybersecurity measures against threats from the four countries, including North Korea.

Simultaneously, the U.S. government is raising its alert level regarding North Korea's cryptocurrency theft and various hacking incidents. Earlier, Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, noted during his confirmation hearing in January that North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and the "growing cyber capabilities" pose threats to stability in the Korean Peninsula, Indo-Pacific region, and the world.

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