By Park Si-soo
Lotte Group said Thursday it has been suffering a disruption to its all duty free business-related websites in what could be a cyberattack by unidentified Chinese hackers following its land swap deal with South Korea’s defense ministry for the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system, called THAAD, on South Korean soil.
A Lotte official said the disruption was caused by a virus planted by hackers, citing an analysis of computer security experts.
The apparent hacking attack is the latest backlash Lotte has faced in China following its land swap deal with South Korea's defense ministry for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery.
On Tuesday, Lotte International Co., a Lotte unit, signed the deal to hand over a golf course in the southeastern rural city of Seongju for the US missile defense system in return for other land.