South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during the 78th Armed Forces Day at a military base in Gyeryong-City, South Korea, 01 October 2026. JEON HEON-KYUN/Pool via... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
- Summary
- Companies
- Police investigating breaches affecting several major lenders
- Details of alleged AI tools used remain undisclosed
- Watchdog shares 28 unique suspect IP addresses with firms
- President orders swift assessment and efforts to limit damage
SEOUL, Oct 6 (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that AI models are believed to have been used in some recent hacking incidents against banks and called for the country to develop cybersecurity methods suited to the AI era.
"In some hacking incidents, signs have emerged of AI being used, causing considerable public concern and anxiety," Lee said during a cabinet meeting.
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"Please establish the circumstances swiftly and clearly, and concentrate personnel and resources on minimising the damage."
South Korea's police have launched a full-scale investigation into the hacking attacks against commercial banks that led to a breach of customers' personal information, the Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.
Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and others had reported cyberattacks, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said on Friday, while Yonhap reported that Hana Bank and Woori Bank also suffered breaches.
Authorities have not yet disclosed details on what kind of AI tools were used in the hacking incidents or the full scale of the breaches.
On Sunday, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon convened an emergency meeting with financial industry associations, regulators and executives from affected institutions, warning that the sector must respond with the highest level of vigilance.
Financial watchdog the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the Financial Security Institute shared data about 28 unique IP addresses and some country information linked to the recent hacking attempts with the financial sector, the FSS said on Tuesday.
In September, Australia said an OpenAI agent breached a government health data portal in June, gaining unauthorised access to files, in what could be the first known instance of an AI agent hacking a government website.
An artificial intelligence research firm said last week that AI agents tried to hack into a Canadian government website, casting the effort as a failed hacking attempt, while Canada said there were no indications its systems were compromised.
Adds financial watchdog statement in paragraph 8
Reporting by Joyce Lee, Brenda Goh and Jihoon Lee; Editing by Ed Davies and Christian Schmollinger
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Brenda Goh is the Korea bureau chief for Reuters where she oversees coverage of the two Koreas and a team that covers K-culture, Samsung and the KOSPI. Before moving to Seoul, she was based in China where she was the Shanghai bureau chief and chief China companies correspondent, leading coverage of industries from technology to autos. She first joined Reuters as a trainee in London in 2010 and has reported for the news agency from over a dozen countries.