(LEAD) Lee calls for thorough probe into personal data leaks at financial institutions

President Lee Jae Myung has called for a thorough investigation into a series of hacking attacks that have resulted in personal information leaks at major banks and financial institutions in South Korea. The incidents, which affected firms such as Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, and Shinhan Bank, involved the exposure of customer data including names, phone numbers, and annual income.

President Lee emphasized the need for a comprehensive response and urged authorities to spare no effort in addressing the issue. 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 to discuss the matter. While no sensitive information that could be used for unauthorized payments has been leaked so far, the FSC chief warned of the potential for exploitation through voice phishing or other scams.

He also did not rule out the possibility that artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the hacking attacks.

Brief written by urgent.news from Yonhap News's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.