President Lee Orders Full Probe Into Financial-Sector Data Leaks

President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough investigation into a series of cyberattacks that exposed personal information at major South Korean banks and other financial institutions, raising pressure on regulators and lenders to strengthen defenses against increasingly sophisticated intrusions.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee received a briefing on the recent breaches at financial and public institutions and on measures taken in response. The president instructed authorities to treat the situation seriously, investigate it fully and develop effective countermeasures.

The intervention follows a succession of incidents affecting major lenders. Shinhan Bank said Thursday that information belonging to about 25,000 customers had been leaked. The exposed records included names, telephone numbers and annual income. People familiar with the incident said attackers may have used advanced artificial intelligence tools, although authorities have not announced a final attribution or technical conclusion.

Hana Bank separately identified leaked personal information involving 89 customers. Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank also faced similar hacking attempts, but the lenders blocked unauthorized access before personal data was lost. The different outcomes have sharpened scrutiny of how banks detect abnormal traffic and protect support systems outside their core transaction platforms.

Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin held an emergency meeting with executives from affected companies. The FSC chairman said security breaches had appeared across several parts of the financial sector within a short period, extending beyond major commercial banks to savings banks and specialized credit-finance firms.

Regulators said the information known to have been exposed did not appear to include sensitive credentials that could directly authorize payments. Even so, officials warned that names, contact details, income data and other personal records could be exploited in voice-phishing schemes or other fraud. Financial companies were urged to maintain the highest level of vigilance.

The FSC chief also said investigators had not ruled out the use of artificial intelligence in the attacks. Determining whether automated tools were involved, and whether the incidents were connected, will be central to assessing the scale of the threat and deciding whether existing cybersecurity requirements remain adequate.

Lee’s directive puts the government’s response under direct presidential oversight as regulators examine the immediate breaches and potential weaknesses across the wider financial system. The findings could shape both enforcement against affected firms and longer-term rules governing security controls, incident reporting and the use of artificial intelligence in financial networks.