KEPCO says data of about 24,000 employees exposed on external webpage
Version 2: Additional details emerged on how the exposure was found and what it is not: Asia Economy reported that the National Intelligence Service discovered the posting and notified KEPCO, and that the joint investigation includes the intelligence service and the climate ministry, while KEPCO said the case is unrelated to recent AI-based hacking. More outlets confirmed the timing — awareness at 3:59 p.m. on Oct. 1 and deletion about 32 hours later — and Dong-A Ilbo and NoCut News detailed which employee fields were exposed and which were not.
In short
Korea Electric Power Corp. said the personal information of about 24,000 employees was exposed on an external webpage, while customer data was not included. KEPCO said it learned of the exposure at 3:59 p.m. on Oct. 1 and that the information was deleted about 32 hours later, and that it is investigating with the National Intelligence Service and other agencies. The cause has not been determined; KEPCO said no external hacking attempts have been identified and that the case is unrelated to recent AI-based hacking.
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Korea Electric Power Corp. said the personal information of about 24,000 employees was exposed on an external webpage, and that customer data was not included. In a statement, the utility said it became aware of the exposure at 3:59 p.m. on Oct. 1 and that the information was deleted around midnight on Oct. 2, about 32 hours after it learned of the problem. [ 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
According to KEPCO, the exposed data included employees’ names, departments, phone numbers and employee identification numbers. Dong-A Ilbo and NoCut News reported that resident registration numbers and other sensitive information were not included, citing the company. [ 8 , 10 ]
KEPCO said it blocked internal system access linked to employee records immediately after becoming aware and asked the operator of the external webpage to delete the information. It said it has set up an emergency response situation room and is investigating with related agencies and through its own review. Asia Economy reported that the National Intelligence Service discovered the posting and notified KEPCO at 3:59 p.m. on Oct. 1, and that the joint investigation involves the intelligence service and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. Asia Economy also reported that the webpage was not one open to the general public; the other documents do not describe the site. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 , 10 ]
The cause has not been established. A KEPCO official said it is not yet known whether the information was posted through an internal mistake or an external attempt, Hankook Ilbo reported. KEPCO said no external hacking attempts have been identified so far and that it considers the case unrelated to recent AI-based hacking attacks on financial companies, according to Yonhap and Asia Economy. The company said it explained the situation to affected employees by text message and email and advised them on preventing secondary damage, and that it will investigate and proceed with compensation and other remedy procedures if damage occurs or is expected. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]
The incident comes amid a series of hacking-related customer data leaks at South Korean financial companies, which several outlets cited as context. Newsis reported that the Financial Services Commission held an emergency meeting and entered an emergency response posture, with Chairman Lee Eok-won urging the financial sector to maintain the highest level of vigilance and warning of strict accountability for any repeat. Dong-A Ilbo said the KEPCO case raised concern because it involved a public institution responsible for the country’s power infrastructure. [ 2 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The KEPCO exposure comes amid a series of hacking-related data leaks at South Korean financial companies, which prompted the Financial Services Commission to hold an emergency meeting and warn of strict accountability for repeat incidents, Newsis reported. Dong-A Ilbo said the case raised concern because it involved a public institution responsible for the country’s power infrastructure. The documents give no independent assessment, so the scale of the exposure and the assurance that customer data was untouched rest on KEPCO’s own account.
Key facts
- KEPCO said the personal information of about 24,000 employees was exposed on an external webpage. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said customer information was not exposed and is kept in a dedicated system separate from employee records. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said it became aware of the exposure at 3:59 p.m. on Oct. 1 and that the information was deleted around midnight on Oct. 2, about 32 hours later. [ 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- The exposed data included names, departments, phone numbers and employee identification numbers, according to the company; resident registration numbers and sensitive information were not included. [ 8 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said it blocked internal system access linked to employee records, asked the webpage operator to delete the information, and set up an emergency response situation room. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- Asia Economy reported that the National Intelligence Service discovered the posting and notified KEPCO, and that KEPCO is investigating jointly with the intelligence service and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. [ 9 ]
- KEPCO said no external hacking attempts have been identified so far and that it sees the case as unrelated to recent AI-based hacking. [ 4 , 7 , 9 ]
- KEPCO said it will carry out compensation and other remedy procedures if damage occurs or is expected. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- KEPCO said employee personal information was exposed on an external webpage. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said customer information was not exposed and is managed in a separate dedicated system. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said it became aware of the exposure at 3:59 p.m. on Oct. 1 and that the data was deleted about 32 hours later. [ 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said it blocked internal system access related to employee records and asked the external webpage operator to delete the information. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said it set up an emergency response situation room and is investigating the cause with related agencies. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- KEPCO said it will proceed with compensation and other remedy procedures if damage occurs or is expected. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
Still unclear
- What caused the exposure. KEPCO says the cause is still under investigation; Hankook Ilbo reports the company says it cannot yet tell whether an internal mistake or an external attempt was responsible.
- Whether the roughly 24,000 figure refers to records or to people. Newsis’s headline says about 24,000 items of employee personal information, while other outlets say about 24,000 employees; the documents do not reconcile the two.
- Who first discovered the exposure. Only Asia Economy reports that the National Intelligence Service found the posting and notified KEPCO; the other documents describe only KEPCO becoming aware.
- Whether the incident is unrelated to the recent AI-based hacking attacks. This is KEPCO’s own position, carried by Yonhap and Asia Economy, with no independent confirmation in the documents.
- Whether the exposed information has been fully contained. The documents report only that KEPCO requested deletion and that the content was removed; no third party confirms the extent of the exposure or whether the data could still circulate.
- The claim that customer information was unaffected. The assurance comes from KEPCO in every document; no regulator or independent party is cited confirming it.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- KEPCO says it became aware that employee personal information was exposed on an external webpage on Oct. 1; Asia Economy reports the National Intelligence Service discovered the posting and notified KEPCO at this time. [ 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- The exposed information is deleted from the external webpage, about 32 hours after KEPCO became aware (around midnight on Oct. 2). [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- Kukmin Ilbo reports the exposure of the names and phone numbers of 24,000 KEPCO employees. [ 1 ]
- Newsis reports the exposure of about 24,000 employee personal information items and says customer information was unaffected. [ 2 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports that the data was deleted about 32 hours after KEPCO became aware and that no external hacking attempts have been identified so far. [ 4 ]
- Asia Economy reports that the National Intelligence Service first discovered the posting and that KEPCO views the case as unrelated to recent AI-based hacking. [ 9 ]