South Korean authorities have opened an investigation after personal information belonging to President Lee Jae-myung and more than 160 officials was found online. The exposed data reportedly included passport numbers and dates of birth.
Local media reported that the documents were uploaded to VirusTotal in June. The platform allows users to check files and web addresses for potential malware. The information, relating to the presidential couple and senior officials who accompanied Lee on a European tour, may have remained accessible for nearly five months.
The person who uploaded the documents and their motive are unknown. The Foreign Ministry has renewed the passports of everyone affected and said the information has been removed from the site.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said the ministry is working with the National Police Agency and other organizations to determine how the information was exposed. He described the incident as a data leak, rather than a cyberattack, and said authorities were examining computers and email accounts used before Lee’s European tour.
Sources: Le Figaro.