South Korea's President Orders Probe Into Bank Data Leaks After Hacking Attacks

The leaks struck several financial firms in succession, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a press release that Lee had been briefed on the recent data breaches at financial and public institutions and on the measures taken in response. Lee instructed authorities to take the matter seriously, conduct a thorough investigation and spare no effort in coming up with measures to address the issue, Kang said.

Shinhan Bank said Thursday that personal information of around 25,000 customers, including their names, phone numbers and annual income, had been leaked. Sources said the bank was attacked by hackers who used advanced artificial intelligence tools. Personal information of 89 customers was found to have been leaked from Hana Bank. Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank were also targeted in similar hacking attempts, but no personal information was leaked because the banks blocked unauthorized access to their systems.

Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin held an emergency meeting with the heads of the affected firms. At the meeting, Lee Eog-weon said multiple security breaches had been detected across various sectors in a short span of time, not only at major commercial banks but also at savings banks and specialized credit finance firms.

He said no sensitive information that could be used for unauthorized payments appeared to have been leaked so far. He nevertheless urged the financial sector to maintain the highest level of vigilance, warning that the leaked information could still be exploited for voice phishing or other scams. He also did not rule out the possibility that AI tools were used in the hacking attacks.