South Korea's Lee orders probe into bank data leaks, regulator calls emergency meeting
In short
President Lee Jae-myung ordered a thorough investigation and countermeasures on Oct. 4 after being briefed on personal data leaks at financial institutions and public bodies, the presidential office said. The incidents began with Shinhan Bank, which confirmed on Sept. 30 that about 25,000 customers' data had leaked through a service for loan recruiters, and spread to other banks and second-tier financial firms. Financial authorities scheduled an emergency meeting for 2 p.m. the same day, while the Korea Internet & Security Agency raised its breach monitoring level from “interest” to “caution.”
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President Lee Jae-myung ordered a thorough investigation and the preparation of countermeasures on Oct. 4 after being briefed on a series of personal data leaks at financial institutions and public bodies, the presidential office said. Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said in a media notice that Lee told officials to keep “a grave awareness of the matter” and to make every effort for a thorough investigation and for drawing up measures. The directive followed hacking incidents that the documents say have extended across the financial sector. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 15 ]
According to the documents, the sequence began with Shinhan Bank, which confirmed on Sept. 30 that an unauthorized outsider had abnormally accessed a service reserved for loan recruiters and leaked data on about 25,000 customers. Dong-A Ilbo reported that the leaked information included customers' names and phone numbers as well as annual income and loan limits, along with 66 resident registration numbers and 97 pieces of connecting information. Newsis reported that KB Kookmin Bank leaked the personal credit information of 119 customers after an external security breach, and that Hana Bank lost the data of 89 customers when an outside hacking group accessed its sales support system. Several outlets also listed BNK Busan Bank as affected. [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
Seoul Economic Daily reported that Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank said they blocked hacking attempts, while Yegaram Savings Bank and Hyundai Capital showed signs of hacking. Dong-A Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily said authorities are expanding their investigation and have not ruled out that further leaks may emerge in other parts of the industry. [ 7 , 9 ]
Kyunghyang Shinmun, Newsis and Maeil Business described the attacks as suspected hacking by artificial intelligence agents, a new type of cyberattack, with incidents also reported at savings banks and capital firms in the second-tier financial sector. Kyunghyang Shinmun and Seoul Economic Daily reported that the government raised its security threat monitoring and that the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) lifted its breach monitoring level from “interest” to “caution.” [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
Seoul Economic Daily reported that the Financial Services Commission scheduled an emergency meeting for 2 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Government Complex Seoul, chaired by FSC Chairman Lee Eok-won, with Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin, the heads of all financial industry associations and the chief executives of companies where leaks occurred attending. Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo also reported the planned meeting. [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]
Why it matters
The presidential directive and the emergency meeting chaired by the financial regulator put government pressure on banks over how they handle customer data, and the documents say authorities are expanding their investigation and have not ruled out further leaks. The coverage also describes the attacks as a suspected new type of cyberattack using AI agents, which the government is preparing for by raising security monitoring levels. The documents do not give details on who carried out the attacks or on possible penalties.
Key facts
- President Lee Jae-myung ordered a thorough investigation and the preparation of countermeasures after being briefed on personal data leaks at financial institutions and public bodies. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
- Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung relayed the order in a media notice, saying Lee called for “a grave awareness of the matter” and full efforts on the investigation and on drawing up measures. [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 15 ]
- Shinhan Bank confirmed on Sept. 30 that an unauthorized outsider abnormally accessed a service reserved for loan recruiters, leaking data on about 25,000 customers. [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]
- Newsis reported that 119 KB Kookmin Bank customers' personal credit information leaked after an external security breach, and that 89 Hana Bank customers' data leaked when an outside hacking group accessed the bank's sales support system. [ 8 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reported that BNK Busan Bank was also affected, that Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank said they blocked hacking attempts, and that Yegaram Savings Bank and Hyundai Capital showed signs of hacking. [ 9 ]
- The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) raised its breach monitoring level from “interest” to “caution” as the government increased security threat monitoring. [ 6 , 9 ]
- The Financial Services Commission scheduled an emergency meeting for 2 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Government Complex Seoul, chaired by FSC Chairman Lee Eok-won, with FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin, financial industry association heads and the chief executives of affected companies attending. [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- President Lee Jae-myung ordered a thorough investigation and countermeasures over the personal data leaks after being briefed on the incidents and the response, the presidential office said. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
- The order was relayed by senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung in a media notice on Oct. 4. [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 15 ]
- Shinhan Bank confirmed that an unauthorized outsider accessed a loan-recruiter-only service and leaked the personal data of about 25,000 customers, with the case becoming known on Sept. 30. [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]
- An emergency meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 4 at the Government Complex Seoul, chaired by FSC Chairman Lee Eok-won, with FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin, financial association heads and the chief executives of affected companies. [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]
- KISA's breach monitoring level was raised from “interest” to “caution.” [ 6 , 9 ]
Still unclear
- The per-bank figures of 119 KB Kookmin Bank customers and 89 Hana Bank customers affected Only Newsis gives these numbers; the other documents in this set do not state them, so they remain single-source.
- Whether the attacks were carried out using artificial intelligence agents Kyunghyang Shinmun, Newsis and Maeil Business describe the attacks as suspected AI-based hacking, not as a confirmed method.
- The total number of customers affected and whether further leaks will surface at other financial firms The documents give figures per institution only, and Dong-A Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily say authorities are expanding the investigation and have not ruled out additional cases.
- Who carried out the attacks and whether anyone has been identified or detained None of the documents state an attacker, an arrest or an attribution.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kukmin Ilbo publishes a report that President Lee ordered a thorough investigation and countermeasures over the financial-sector data leaks. [ 1 ]
- Seoul Shinmun and other outlets report the presidential directive and the spokesperson's media notice. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The Financial Services Commission's emergency meeting is scheduled to begin at the Government Complex Seoul, chaired by FSC Chairman Lee Eok-won with FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin and industry chiefs. [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]