South Korean President Orders Emergency Probe After Massive Data Breaches Hit Top Banks

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a sweeping investigation into personal data leaks affecting the country's public agencies and major financial institutions. An emergency regulatory meeting was moved up to Sunday after Shinhan, KB Kookmin, Hana, and Woori banks all reported cyberattacks and system breaches. Authorities revealed that the threat actors did not target a single entity, but instead broadly scanned multiple financial companies for network vulnerabilities. Attack traffic was traced back to internet protocol addresses across the United States, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Britain, complicating immediate attribution. Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon warned that authorities could not rule out the possibility that artificial intelligence was used in the attacks, calling for an "AI attacks defended by AI" approach. The financial regulator has directed institutions to immediately tighten access controls, minimize external system access, and launch comprehensive security inspections.