Nominee Han Apologizes for Startup Program Information Leak

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister nominee Han Seong-sook apologized Monday over a recent information leak from the government's website for an audition-style startup incubation program.

An artificial intelligence solution firm serving as a project partner was found to have exploited a security loophole in the website for the "Startup for All" project and collected the emails, summarized startup ideas and judge reviews of 5,000 people that passed the first round of the audition.

The leak came to light after the company sent promotional emails to the successful candidates.

"I earnestly apologize for the concerns and inconvenience caused by the personal information leak from the Startup for All platform," Han said in her capacity as minister for medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups. "I feel heavy responsibility for failing to protect the trust of startup applicants ... and offer words of deep apology."

The startup ministry also came under fire for reporting the leak to the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) some 70 hours after learning of the incident. The ministry said it took emergency security measures to close the loophole, identify damage and notified the participants of the leak before reporting it to KISA.

Han pledged to take thorough security and other measures to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

"Starting a business is a challenge that builds the future with ideas and possibilities, and a new growth engine for our economy," Han said. "The passion and spirit of challenge towards youth startups should not be broken due to this incident. We will make sure that aspiring entrepreneurs won't hesitate in taking on new challenges."

The program was launched early this year to support aspiring entrepreneurs.

Of the 5,000 successful candidates selected out of some 63,000 applicants, 1,000 will advance to a multistage startup audition process, with about 100 finalists competing in a nationwide startup competition to determine the final winners eligible for up to 1 billion won (US$654,500) worth of support.