Police have launched a preliminary inquiry — a pre-indictment investigation — into allegations of wide-ranging AI-based hacking and data breaches targeting major domestic banks, sources said.
The Korean National Police Agency's Cyber Terror Response Investigation Unit began probing a series of data leak incidents confirmed at Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, Hana Bank and BNK Busan Bank on Friday, according to Yonhap. Police plan to first assess the extent of damage at each bank, the scope of the leaked information and the intrusion routes, then secure related materials to establish the specific nature of the incidents.
The probe was launched shortly after reports of the breaches emerged in the media. Given the gravity of the matter, police said they will examine the scale of the damage, the methods used in the attacks and the identity of the perpetrators, while also reviewing whether to elevate the case to a full formal investigation.
Should the case be upgraded to a formal investigation, it could become the first major cybercrime case handled by police under the restructured criminal justice framework that took effect Friday with the enforcement of the revised Code of Criminal Procedure.
siuu@heraldcorp.com
