Seoul, Nov 23 (IANS): North Korea held a nationwide computer programming competition aimed at cultivating talents to lead the country's information and technology development, a propaganda outlet said on Tuesday.

A semi-final for the competition, organised by the Kimchaek University of Technology, took place between November 5-15, with the final match slated to kick off on Friday for an 11-day run, Yonhap News Agency quoted DPRK Today as saying.

In an interview with it, the university's vice president said around 1,240 participants, ranging from teachers and researchers to college and middle school students, took part in three rounds of preliminary contests in the run-up to the final.

"We have drawn outstanding researchers who showed great performances in international programming competitions to successfully hold this event which is aimed at boosting our programming capabilities critical for information and technology development and the national economy," the vice president said.

North Korea is known to have 6,800-strong cyberwarfare specialists in operation and working to boost its cyber capabilities based on the latest technologies.