South Korea's Lee says AI appears to have been used in bank hacks, orders all-out response
President Lee Jae Myung told a Tuesday cabinet meeting that signs point to AI being used in recent hacking attacks on banks, ordering personnel and resources concentrated on limiting the damage as police opened a 28-officer investigation.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that artificial intelligence appears to have been used in a recent wave of hacking attacks against the country’s banks, instructing the government to throw personnel and resources at limiting the damage.
“In some hacking cases, details have emerged of the possible use of artificial intelligence (AI), causing the people to feel great concern and anxiety,” Lee said at a cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, the Korea Times reported (https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20261006/lee-orders-dedication-of-personnel-resources-to-handling-hacking-attacks). “Please carry out a swift and clear determination of the circumstances and concentrate personnel and resources on minimizing damage.”
The attacks exposed customer information at seven companies, including Hana Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank. Police launched an investigation the same day, assigning a 28-member team to look into suspected violations of the information and communications network law.
Reuters reported that South Korea’s police had opened a full-scale investigation into the attacks and that the Financial Services Commission said on Friday that Shinhan Bank and KB Kookmin Bank had reported cyberattacks, while Yonhap said Hana Bank and Woori Bank had also suffered breaches (https://www.reuters.com/world/south-koreas-lee-says-ai-appears-have-been-used-bank-hacks-2026-10-06/). Authorities have not disclosed what kind of AI tools were used or the full scale of the breaches.
Lee warned that AI-driven hacking methods were increasing the scope of damage “to previously unseen levels” and said it was difficult to respond to evolving cyber threats by handling accidents after they happened, calling for capabilities to detect and block attacks in advance and for faster development of AI tools for cybersecurity.
On Sunday, Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon convened an emergency meeting with financial industry associations, regulators and executives of affected institutions, warning the sector to respond with the highest level of vigilance, Reuters reported.
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