A Breach Every Month Raises Doubts About South Korea’s Digital Defenses

South Korea is world-famous for its blazing-fast internet, near-universal broadband coverage, and arsenic a leader successful integer innovation, hosting world tech brands for illustration Hyundai, LG, and Samsung. But this very occurrence has made nan state a premier target for hackers and exposed really vulnerable its cybersecurity defenses remain.  

The state is reeling from a drawstring of high-profile hacks, affecting in installments paper companies, and telecoms to tech startups and authorities agencies, affecting immense swathes of nan South Korean population. In each case, ministries and regulators appeared to scramble successful parallel, sometimes deferring to 1 different alternatively than moving successful unison. 

Critics reason that South Korea’s cyber defenses are hindered by a fragmented strategy of authorities ministries and agencies, often resulting successful slow and uncoordinated responses, per section media reports. 

With no clear authorities agency acting arsenic ‘first responder’ pursuing a cyberattack, nan country’s cyber defenses are struggling to support gait pinch its integer ambitions. 

“The government’s attack to cybersecurity remains mostly reactive, treating it arsenic a situation guidance rumor alternatively than arsenic captious nationalist infrastructure,” Brian Pak, nan main executive of Seoul-based cybersecurity patient Theori, told TechCrunch.  

Pak, who besides serves arsenic an advisor to SK Telecom’s genitor company’s typical committee connected cybersecurity innovations, told TechCrunch that because authorities agencies tasked pinch cybersecurity activity successful silos, processing integer defenses and training skilled workers often get overlooked. 

The state is besides facing a terrible shortage of skilled cybersecurity experts.  

“[That’s] chiefly because nan existent attack has held backmost workforce development. This deficiency of talent creates a vicious cycle. Without capable expertise, it’s intolerable to build and support nan proactive defenses needed to enactment up of threats,” Pak continued.  

Political deadlock has fostered a wont of seeking quick, evident “quick fixes” aft each crisis, said Pak, each nan while nan much challenging, semipermanent activity of building integer resilience continues to beryllium sidelined. 

This twelvemonth alone, location has been a awesome cybersecurity incident successful South Korea each month, further mounting concerns complete nan resilience of South Korea’s integer infrastructure.  

January 2025 

• GS Retail, nan usability of convenience stores and market markets crossed South Korea, confirmed a information breach that exposed nan individual specifications of astir 90,000 customers aft its website was attacked betwixt December 27 and January 4. The stolen accusation included names, commencement dates, interaction details, addresses, and email addresses. 

February 2025 

• Wemix, nan blockchain limb of Korean gaming institution Wemade, was deed by a $6.2 cardinal hack connected February 28, but investors didn’t perceive astir it until March 4. 

April and May 2025 

• South Korea’s part-time occupation level Albamon was deed by a hacking onslaught connected April 30. The breach exposed nan resumes of much than 20,000 users, including names, telephone numbers, and email addresses.
• In April, South Korea’s telecom elephantine SK Telecom was deed by a awesome cyberattack. Hackers stole nan individual information of astir 23 cardinal customers—nearly half nan country’s population. Much of nan aftermath of nan cyberattack lasted done May, successful which millions of customers were offered a caller SIM paper pursuing nan breach. 

June 2025  

• Yes24, South Korea’s online ticketing and unit platform, was deed by a ransomware onslaught connected June 9, which knocked its services offline. The disruption lasted for astir 4 days, pinch nan institution backmost online by mid-June. 

July 2025 

• In July, nan North Korea–linked Kimsuky group launched a cyberattack connected South Korean organizations, including a defense-related institution, this clip utilizing AI-generated deepfake images.
• Seoul Guarantee Insurance (SGI), a Korean financial institution, was hit by a ransomware onslaught astir July 14, which disrupted its halfway systems. The incident knocked cardinal services offline, including nan issuing and verification of guarantees, leaving customers successful limbo. 

August 2025

• Yes 24 faced a 2nd ransomware onslaught successful August 2025, which took its website and services offline for a fewer hours. 
• Hackers collapsed into a South Korean financial services institution Lotte Card, which issues in installments and debit cards betwixt July 22 and August. The breach exposed astir 200GB of information and is believed to person affected astir 3 cardinal customers. The breach remained unnoticed for astir 17 days, until nan institution discovered it connected August 31. 
• Welcom Financial: In August 2025, Welrix F&I, a lending limb of Welcome Financial Group, was deed by a ransomware attack. A Russian-linked hacking group claimed it stole complete a terabyte of soul files, including delicate customer data, and moreover leaked samples connected nan acheronian web.
• North Korea–linked hackers, believed to beryllium nan Kimsuky group, person been spying connected overseas embassies successful South Korea for months by disguising their attacks arsenic regular negotiated emails. According to Trellix, nan run has been progressive since March and has targeted astatine slightest 19 embassies and overseas ministries successful South Korea. 

September 2025  

• A North Korea–backed hacking group, Kimsuky, utilized AI-generated deepfake images successful a July spear-phishing effort against a South Korean subject organization, according to Genians Security Center. The group has besides targeted different South Korean institutions.
• KT, 1 of South Korea’s biggest telecom operators, has reported a cyber breach that exposed subscriber information from much than 5,500 customers. The onslaught was linked to forbidden “fake guidelines stations” that tapped into KT’s network, enabling hackers to intercept mobile traffic, bargain accusation for illustration IMSI, IMEI, and telephone numbers, and moreover make unauthorized micro-payments. 

In ray of nan caller surge successful hacking incidents, nan South Korean Presidential Office’s National Security is stepping successful to tighten defenses, pushing for a cross-ministerial effort that brings aggregate agencies together successful a coordinated, whole-of-government response.  

In September 2025, nan National Security Office announced that it would instrumentality “comprehensive” cyber measures done an interagency plan, led by nan South Korean President’s office. Regulators besides signaled a ineligible alteration giving nan authorities powerfulness to motorboat probes at nan first motion of hacking — moreover if companies haven’t revenge a report. Both steps purpose to reside nan deficiency of a first responder that has agelong hindered South Korea’s cyber defenses. 

But South Korea’s fragmented strategy leaves accountability weak, placing each authority successful a statesmanlike ‘control tower’ could consequence ‘politicization’ and overreach, according to Pak.  

A amended way whitethorn beryllium balance: a cardinal assemblage to group strategy and coordinate crises, paired pinch independent oversight to support powerfulness successful check. In a hybrid model, master agencies like KISA would still grip nan method activity — conscionable pinch much straightforward rules and accountability, Pak told TechCrunch.  

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for nan South Korea’s Ministry of Science successful ICT said nan ministry, pinch KISA and different applicable agencies, is “committed to addressing progressively blase and precocious cyber threats.”  

“We proceed to activity diligently to minimize imaginable harm to Korean businesses and nan wide public,” nan spokesperson added.