TECHNOLOGY
South Korean President Says AI Appears to Have Been Used in Recent Bank Hacks
President Lee Jae Myung says signs of AI use have emerged in recent cyberattacks on South Korean banks, which led to a breach of customers' personal information. Police have opened a full-scale investigation, but authorities have not said which AI tools were involved or how large the breaches were.
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that AI models are believed to have been used in some recent hacking incidents against banks, and he called on the country to develop cybersecurity methods suited to the AI era.
"In some hacking incidents, signs have emerged of AI being used, causing considerable public concern and anxiety," Lee said during a cabinet meeting.
South Korea's police have launched a full-scale investigation into the attacks on commercial banks, which led to a breach of customers' personal information, the Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said on Friday that Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and others had reported cyberattacks. Yonhap reported that Hana Bank and Woori Bank had also suffered breaches.
On Sunday, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon convened an emergency meeting with financial industry associations, regulators and executives from affected institutions. He warned that the sector must respond with the highest level of vigilance.
Authorities have not disclosed what kind of AI tools were used in the incidents or the full scale of the breaches. Investigators have not released technical details that would confirm the presence of AI-generated code, and the banks have not been reported to have commented publicly. It is also unclear whether any customers have suffered financial loss or identity theft.
An earlier account of the story, which circulated on Hacker News on 6 October 2026 and cited a senior official of the country's financial intelligence unit, said the pattern of the attacks suggested automated decision-making rather than manual hacking techniques. That account also said investigators were working with domestic cybersecurity firms to analyse malware signatures. These details come from a brief secondary report and are not confirmed in the Yonhap-sourced reporting above.
No suspects or motives have been identified, leaving open whether the operation was state-sponsored or carried out by criminal groups. The investigation is ongoing.
The allegations come amid growing global scrutiny of AI tools that can autonomously discover vulnerabilities, which has prompted regulators in several jurisdictions to consider tighter controls on advanced machine-learning models.