Lee orders dedication of personnel, resources to handling hacking attacks

President Lee Jae Myung directed the government on Tuesday to allocate personnel and resources to mitigate the impact of recent hacking incidents targeting financial institutions. The directive followed disclosures that the cyber attacks compromised customer data belonging to seven companies, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, and Shinhan Bank.

Lee expressed concern over the potential involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) in some of the attacks, which he deemed alarming. He stressed the urgency of a prompt and thorough investigation, urging the allocation of personnel and resources to limit the damage caused by these breaches. The police confirmed that an investigation had been initiated, comprising a team of 28 members tasked with probing allegations of breaches under the information and communications network law.

In addition to government and corporate vigilance, Lee emphasized the need for broader societal awareness, warning that AI-driven hacking techniques are escalating the scale of damage to unprecedented levels. Lee cautioned that traditional reactive approaches to cyber threats are insufficient, asserting that proactive security measures are essential to detect and prevent attacks before they occur.