Key facts
- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook called for an overhaul of South Korea's information security systems.
- Recent cyberattacks targeted major financial institutions including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, and Shinhan Bank.
- The attacks are believed to have utilized artificial intelligence.
- The prime minister warned of potential secondary damage and the spread of similar hacking methods to other sectors.
- Han instructed police to investigate and financial authorities to ensure customer protection and compensation.
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (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.