What did Prime Minister Han Seong-sook demand after the cyberattacks on South Korean banks?

Han Seong-sook demanded a complete overhaul of information security systems and urged government agencies, public institutions, financial institutions and private companies to remain vigilant and resolve weaknesses swiftly.

Why did Han Seong-sook warn that the bank cyberattacks could cause wider damage?

Han said the incident may have used artificial intelligence and warned that AI-assisted phishing could create secondary damage. She also said similar hacking methods could spread beyond finance into industries, government and public sectors.

What actions were ordered after the information leaks at Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank?

Han instructed police to mobilize all available capabilities for a thorough investigation. She also urged financial authorities to require affected institutions to implement proper customer-protection measures and compensate customers for damage.

PM calls for sweeping overhaul of information security systems following wave of cyberattacks

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Summary

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook called Tuesday for a sweeping overhaul of South Korea’s information protection system after recent cyberattacks on major financial institutions. The attacks caused repeated customer-information leaks at Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank. Han ordered police to use all available capabilities in their investigation and urged financial authorities to ensure customer protection and compensation.

Key Facts

President Lee Jae Myung called for the issue to be taken seriously and ordered a thorough investigation.
Han said the incident may have exploited artificial intelligence and warned that AI-assisted phishing could cause secondary damage.
Han warned that similar hacking methods could spread from financial institutions to industries, government agencies and public institutions.
Han said existing security awareness, systems and government frameworks are insufficient for the rapidly changing information landscape.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 6, 2026 9:38 am KST

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks during a meeting, Tuesday, to discuss a recent series of hacking attacks on financial institutions. Yonhap

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook called Tuesday for a sweeping overhaul of the country's information protection system, warning that recent cyberattacks on major financial institutions show that current security measures are no longer effective.

Several financial firms suffered back-to-back leaks of customer information in the recent attacks, including on Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank. President Lee Jae Myung has said the issue should be taken seriously and called for a thorough investigation.

On Tuesday, the prime minister presided over a meeting with related ministers to discuss the issue.

"This is a serious situation because this incident is believed to have taken advantage of artificial intelligence, and if AI is used in phishing attacks, it could lead to secondary damage," Han said. "It is also a serious situation in that similar hacking methods could spread beyond the financial sector to industries, as well as government and public sectors."

She said the rise in such information security breaches demonstrates that the existing security awareness, systems and government frameworks are insufficient to cope with the rapidly changing information landscape.

"Government agencies, public institutions, the financial sector and private enterprises should all remain vigilant, and they should take this incident as an opportunity to swiftly resolve the issue and completely overhaul our security systems," Han said.

She also instructed the police to mobilize all available capabilities to thoroughly investigate the case, while urging financial authorities to ensure that affected institutions implement proper customer protection measures and provide compensation for the damage.

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