Why are Korean police seeking cooperation with the FBI in the investigation of cyberattacks on financial institutions?

Korean authorities are seeking cooperation to obtain critical investigative data, including account details and access logs held by major U.S.-based cybersecurity and artificial intelligence companies.

Who did CrowdStrike identify as a possible suspect in the cyberattacks on Korean financial institutions?

CrowdStrike suggested that a 26-year-old Chinese man from Guangdong Province might be behind the attacks. The man denied involvement, and Korean authorities are considering whether other individuals may be responsible.

What evidence are Korean police examining to identify the hackers behind the financial institution cyberattacks?

Police are reviewing data used by CrowdStrike to estimate the hackers’ identities and documents that suggest connections to a Chinese distributed denial-of-service attack group. Authorities are also considering the possibility that different individuals carried out the attacks.

Police working with FBI to trace hackers behind recent cyberattacks

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Summary

Korean police are working with the FBI to trace hackers behind recent cyberattacks targeting Korea’s financial institutions on Tuesday. The cooperation aims to obtain account details and access logs from major U.S.-based cybersecurity and AI companies. CrowdStrike suggested a 26-year-old Chinese man might be involved, but he denied it. Authorities are also examining the possibility of other suspects and links to a Chinese DDoS group.

Key Facts

The Korean National Police Agency has recently begun the process of cooperating with the FBI to obtain investigation data.
CrowdStrike suggested that a 26-year-old man from China’s Guangdong Province might be behind the attacks, although he denied involvement.
Police are analyzing data used by CrowdStrike to identify the hackers and documents indicating possible ties to a Chinese distributed denial-of-service group.
A police official declined to confirm whether cooperation with the FBI is taking place or provide details about its progress.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 13, 2026 3:12 pm KST

People walk past a row of ATMs in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Korean police are working with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to trace the hackers behind recent cyberattacks targeting Korea's financial institutions, sources said Tuesday.

According to the sources, Korean authorities, including the Korean National Police Agency, have recently launched the process for cooperation with the FBI.

The move aims to obtain critical investigation data, such as account details and access logs of major U.S.-based global cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) companies.

U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike earlier suggested that a 26-year-old Chinese man from China's Guangdong Province might be behind the attacks, but the person has denied involvement.

Local authorities are reportedly considering the possibility of other or different individuals being responsible for the recent cyberattacks, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Police are analyzing data used by CrowdStrike to estimate the hackers' identities, as well as documents suggesting ties to a Chinese distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack group.

When asked to confirm ongoing cooperation with the FBI, a police official here said, "We cannot confirm specific progress, including whether cooperation is taking place."

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