Suspected cyberattack hits Seoul's megachurch
Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul / Korea Times file
Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul said Wednesday it was hit by a suspected cyberattack that might have exposed personal data affecting hundreds of thousands of its members.
As the world’s largest congregation, the church reportedly has between 800,000 and 1 million members. It also hosts high-profile visitors, including U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel who recently participated in a service.
The church said it was notified of the breach by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) Tuesday afternoon. The compromised data involved a file containing the history of changes to membership information, including names, dates of birth and records of address changes.
"The file contained 2,629 changes to resident registration numbers, 3,964 changes to phone numbers and 7,202 changes to addresses," the church said in a statement.
The church said it was notifying affected members of the breach in accordance with relevant laws and procedures. It also said it had taken additional security measures, including blocking external access to its systems and changing server passwords.
Senior Pastor Lee Young-hoon apologized for the incident.
“I feel a deep sense of responsibility for causing concern among our members as a result of this incident, and I sincerely apologize,” Lee said. “As soon as we became aware of the circumstances surrounding the incident, the church worked with the relevant authorities and cybersecurity specialists to identify the method of intrusion and the extent of the damage, while taking measures to prevent any further harm.”
The incident happened amid a series of cyberattacks targeting Korean banks and financial institutions, raising concerns about the security of personal data and the potential misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime.
According to reports, Yoido Full Gospel Church is not the only religious institution in Seoul that was recently hit by a suspected cyberattack. Sarang Church, another large congregation in the capital, was also reportedly targeted.