President Lee Jae Myung Orders Government Action Against AI-Driven Cyber Attacks on Financial Firms

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung instructed the government Tuesday to dedicate personnel and resources to minimizing damage from a recent series of hacking attacks at financial firms.

Lee gave the order at a Cabinet meeting in response to revelations that the attacks exposed customer information at seven companies, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank.

"In some hacking cases, details have emerged of the possible use of artificial intelligence (AI), causing the people to feel great concern and anxiety," he said. "Please carry out a swift and clear determination of the circumstances and concentrate personnel and resources on minimizing damage."

Police said the same day that an investigation has been launched into the cyber attacks, with a 28-member team looking into charges of violations of the information and communications network law.

Lee called for high vigilance not only within the government and business sectors but across society, saying AI-driven hacking methods are increasing the scope of damage to previously unseen levels.

"It is difficult to respond to evolving cyber threats by handling accidents after they happen," he said. "We must have the security capabilities to detect and block attacks in advance."

He particularly called for accelerated efforts to develop and adopt AI tools tailored for cyber security.

Speaking to the recent launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which replaced the former prosecution service along with a scaled back Prosecution Service, Lee stressed the importance of determining the truth until all suspicions related to criminal cases are resolved.

He also noted that innocent people should not be wrongfully charged.

"Strictly and thoroughly investigate, without any hesitation, the criminal acts of the so-called powerful social elite and those who have learned a lot and own a lot, without taking sides or regard for political party," he said.

Regarding government support for farming and fishing villages, Lee pledged to expand their "income safety net" by earmarking 200 billion won (US$149 million) from next year's budget to invest in a fund dedicated to their growth.

The fund has so far collected about 325 billion won, and the government will inject an additional 500 billion won at a later date to make it top 1 trillion won, Lee said.

"This signifies supporting farming and fishing villages, but it can also be a good tool to prevent regional decline and ease the single-pole system centered on the capital area," he said.