Police Expand Financial Hacking Investigation to 43 Members

• •Police expanded the investigation team to 43 members to address financial hacking incidents.
• •Data leaks have been confirmed at seven financial institutions, including major banks.
• •The investigation may be transferred to the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency for further action.

The Korean National Police Agency has increased its investigation team for recent hacking attacks on financial institutions from 28 to 43 members. The investigation, which began on October 1, focuses on data leaks confirmed at seven financial firms, including major banks like Hana Bank and Shinhan Bank. The police are securing relevant data and analyzing affected systems while pursuing international cooperation to block the servers used in the attacks. There are discussions about transferring the case to the newly established Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), which took over major crime investigations from the prosecutors’ office. The police have faced criticism for their initial response time but assert they acted promptly upon the first media reports of the hacking. The investigation is ongoing, and the police aim to track down suspects without delays, regardless of potential jurisdictional changes.