North Korea has attempted to steal Covid-19 vaccine technology by hacking Pfizer Inc according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea's Yonhap did not report when the alleged hacking took place or whether it was successful, Reuters said.

Last year suspected North Korean hackers tried to break into at least nine health organisations, including Johnson & Johnson , Novavax Inc, and AstraZeneca.

South Korea's intelligence agency said it had foiled North Korean attempts to hack into South Korean companies developing coronavirus vaccines.