Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., a major South Korean shipbuilder specializing in submarine and other naval vessels, has suffered hacking attempts by unidentified entities, prompting the authorities to launch a probe, the arms procurement agency said Monday.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) confirmed hacking attempts against the Daewoo database recently but declined to say if those attempts were successful and who appeared to be behind the attack.

"The company reported the case to police," DAPA spokesperson Col. Suh Yong-won told a defense ministry regular briefing. "Police and related military agencies are looking into the case."

But the official denied recent news reports that hackers presumed to be from North Korea broke into Daewoo Shipbuilding last year and recently, stole some research data, including on the development of a homegrown nuclear-powered submarine.

Daewoo Shipbuilding has built several South Korean warships, including an Aegis-class vessel and submarines.

North Korea has often been behind cyberattacks in South Korea and elsewhere, though Pyongyang has denied such accusations.

Last week, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party claimed that North Korean hackers hacked into the internal network of the state-run nuclear research institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) last month, which could compromise nuclear power and other key technologies. (Yonhap)