Even a brief loss of digital connectivity could prove devastating in the event of conflict, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Remington, commander of the US air force in South Korea, told a forum in Seoul.

"We just can't afford to have our systems turned off, even for a little while, or have concerns about data," he said. "We have to have guaranteed secure digital connectivity to fight."

According to the Yonhap news agency, Remington said the two allies should put the "skills and tools in place to fight through any cyber attack".

"Both our nations have to take aggressive steps to defend both our separate and combined networks," he added.

South Korea and the United States agreed in May to find ways to cooperate in fighting cyber attacks from countries including China and North Korea.

The threat of cyber warfare from North Korea has prompted South Korea to establish a specific military command, which will be active by next year. The Pentagon created its own cyber command for US military forces in June.

Experts say North Korea maintains elite hacker units.

Seoul's National Intelligence Service said North Korea was a prime suspect behind cyber attacks in July that briefly crippled major government and commercial websites in the United States and South Korea.

On Monday, South Korea's Monthly Chosun magazine reported that hackers had gained access to a government computer system on March 5 and stolen confidential data on toxic chemicals.

South Korean officials believe the attack might have been launched by North Korea, the magazine said, adding that the hackers were believed to have used a stolen password to break into the system.

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