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  • Western Cancer Patients Flock to Shanghai for CAR-T Therapy
    Western Cancer Patients Flock to Shanghai for CAR-T Therapy Western cancer patients are increasingly choosing to travel to Shanghai for treatment, a stark contrast to the past when Chinese patients sought advanced medical care in the United States or Europe. With the recent approval of solid tumor CAR-T therapy, the number of global cancer patients opting for Shanghai is expected to rise.The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted cases of New Zealand cancer patients traveling to Shanghai for treatment. One notable example is 25-year-old Michael Walters, who suffered from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy in New Zealand without success, he received CAR-T therapy at Shanghai Sino United Hospital and was declared in complete remission.CAR-T therapy is a personalized treatment that involves extracting T cells from a patient's blood, genetically modifying them to target cancer cells, and then multiplying and reinfusing them back into the patient. Developed in the United States, CAR-T therapy began receiving approvals in China in 2021, and various types of CAR-T therapies for blood cancers are now available in the country.A key reason Western cancer patients are choosing to travel to China is cost. According to the WSJ, the price for CAR-T therapy in China ranges from $150,000 to $230,000, significantly lower than the $550,000 to $850,000 required for treatment in the United States. Walters chose Shanghai after comparing treatment costs from other countries.Additionally, a significant development has occurred: China has become the first country to approve CAR-T therapy for solid tumors. On June 22, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China approved 'Satrisel,' a gastric cancer CAR-T therapy developed by the Chinese biotech company Casgen Therapeutics.Foreign patients are already arriving for treatment. New Zealander Josh Bronkhorst sought care at the Shanghai Jiahui International Cancer Center for his gastric cancer. After his cancer progressed despite previous chemotherapy and immunotherapy, he considered treatment options in the United States and Saudi Arabia before deciding on China. Bronkhorst had his T cells harvested on July 6, underwent a three-week CAR-T manufacturing process, and completed his treatment on August 16. The entire process, from cell harvesting to manufacturing, infusion, and observation, took six weeks. He returned to New Zealand after treatment, and the hospital introduced him as the world's first international patient to receive CAR-T therapy for solid tumors.While Walters chose China for its lower costs, Bronkhorst sought treatment there because solid tumor CAR-T therapy is only available in China. Chinese media outlets are actively highlighting this trend. Global Times recently reported on foreign cancer patients receiving treatment in China, emphasizing advancements in the country's cell therapy technology. China Daily noted a case from February where a Czech cancer patient received CAR-T therapy at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, using the term 'reverse medical tourism' to describe the shift from Chinese patients seeking care abroad to international patients choosing China.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-09 10:32:00
  • Barun Law Firm Concludes First AI Innovation Leaders Forum
    Barun Law Firm Concludes First AI Innovation Leaders Forum As the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in hospitals expands, experts suggest shifting the focus from 'what to implement' to 'how to manage and integrate' these technologies.Barun Law Firm, in collaboration with Caleb & Company, announced on September 9 that they co-hosted the '1st AI Innovation Leaders Forum – Transforming and Advancing Hospital AI: From Data and Governance to Clinical Solutions' on September 8 at the Melon Hall on the 5th floor of the L Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul.The event, attended by over 100 practitioners from general hospitals and related medical institutions, featured partners including the Korea Health and Medical Information Service and AI Nation & Jeongwon Ensys.In the first session focused on 'Transforming AI Governance,' Professor Yang Kwang-mo of Sungkyunkwan University and head of the AI Research Center at Samsung Medical Center diagnosed structural disconnections in the field through his presentation titled 'The Core of Hospital AI Transformation – A Hospital Where Data Flows.' He noted, "Even if hospital AI passes performance verification, there remains a significant gap before it translates into actual work." He identified key issues as disconnections between institutions (limitations in standardizing and sharing images), between tasks (scattered channels and manual classification), and between evaluations (discrepancies in defined metrics and performance data).Professor Yang pointed out that changes in regulations, such as Germany's Hospital Reform Act, the UK's NHS App-centered 10-year plan, and domestic support projects for the structural transformation of advanced general hospitals, all demand a common need for 'defining and connecting necessary information.'As a solution, he proposed a 'data-flowing operational system' that connects standards, data, AI judgment, task execution, and performance evaluation. He shared examples from the Samsung Medical Center consortium, including patient-centered medical image sharing (938 cases exchanged among six institutions), automated classification of medical referrals using an on-premises LLM (analyzed 6,624 electronic referrals with a 75.4% assignment accuracy rate, improved to 84.7% after expert re-evaluation), and the integrated referral and return system 'S-CARENet.'He emphasized the need to pre-design who, where, and how to process data after AI judgment, connecting data, AI, tasks, and evaluations under the premise of human final verification (Human-in-the-loop), and highlighted the division of roles among management, planning, and IT departments.Attorney Ahn Juhyun of Barun presented on 'Domestic AI Regulations and Hospital Responses – Checkpoints for AI Implementation through Regulations and Law,' diagnosing the regulatory landscape faced by hospitals. She stated, "Hospital AI is subject to multiple regulations, including the Basic AI Act, regulations on digital medical products, and the Personal Information Protection Act," emphasizing that the focus of regulation is not the model itself but the combination of data processing and clinical usage. She also noted that even similar clinical support functions could face different regulatory pathways depending on their context of use, such as medical device approvals for advertising versus actual use.As a response, she proposed inspection criteria based on usage phases. When utilizing generative AI for medical record writing or patient guidance, hospitals must adhere to privacy checkpoints, including removing patient identification information, using secure internal networks, and notifying patients of AI usage. Procedures for processing, exporting, combining, and managing pseudonymized information and health data must also be pre-designed. Ahn stressed that hospital AI governance should operate continuously before implementation, during operation, and during changes, highlighting the need for comprehensive legal and institutional responses that encompass AI regulations, medical devices, personal information, and medical laws.In the second session on 'AI Strategies and Solutions,' Bae Gi-won, head of the Innovation Center at Caleb & Company, diagnosed patterns of failure in AI implementation in his presentation titled 'Hospital AX Strategy and Governance – A to Z.' He noted, "While implementation is increasing, it remains unclear who approves and who is responsible," identifying common causes of the 'seven major failures' as governance gaps, including verification-field discrepancies, alert fatigue, performance degradation (drift) due to lack of post-management, bias, vendor dependency, and gaps in responsibility and governance. He warned that if all AIs are reviewed with the same intensity, it could lead to an increase in 'shadow AI' as the field seeks to circumvent regulations.As a solution, he suggested that the first step is to inventory the scattered AIs within the institution, proposing differentiated reviews based on risk and a dedicated organization with a multi-layered governance system. He stated, "Well-designed governance does not slow down the pace of implementation; rather, it accelerates it," urging management to view regulatory compliance as a matter of implementation speed rather than cost.Lee Se-ra, team leader at AI Nation, shared insights on 'AI Born in Clinical Settings – Co-developing a Pressure Ulcer Solution,' diagnosing challenges faced in the field. She explained, "Pressure ulcer management is a labor-intensive task that involves repeated measurement, imaging, stage assessment, and documentation for each lesion," sharing difficulties in refining data collected in the field and the challenge of distinguishing 'healed pressure ulcers' from similar lesions like dermatitis.She introduced the journey of developing an AI detection solution for pressure ulcer stages in collaboration with Yonsei Severance Hospital over 21 months, explaining the three-step processing of labeling and classifying over 30,000 lesion data, defining evaluation criteria, and confirming results through imaging and inference (lesion area segmentation and stage classification). Lee emphasized that this is a record created in collaboration with the field, not a product sold by a vendor.Kwon Chan-young, head of the AI Strategy Office at Jeongwon Ensys, addressed the essence of real-time diagnostic support AI in his presentation on 'Real-time Diagnostic Support AI.' He noted, "Video is ultimately a series of still images, and if it is 30 frames per second, the detection AI makes independent judgments 30 times per second." He diagnosed limitations in relying on single-frame detection, which can lead to false positives when markers flicker or frames are blurred.As a solution, he proposed tracking whether the same lesion is continuously detected across frames in the temporal axis to ensure reliability, and skipping blurred frames to achieve smooth detection without flickering, introducing examples of real-time polyp detection (CADe) and diagnostic support (CADx) in endoscopy.During the panel discussion, Lee Jun-hee, head of Barun's Corporate Strategy Research Institute, moderated a discussion with panelists including Kim Kyung-yoon, senior AWS Healthcare executive, Min Gyu-hong, head of the Smart Hospital Information Strategy Team at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Lee Eui-kyu, attorney at Barun, and Han Eun-jin, specialized nurse at Severance Hospital's Clinical Support Nursing Team, focusing on the evolving role of hospitals and challenges in data and governance.Min Gyu-hong emphasized, "Hospitals must transform from places that treat illnesses to comprehensive health management centers that encompass prevention and proactive management," stating that personal medical information should be provided to individuals while also being utilized for AI research through lawful procedures, creating a virtuous cycle back into clinical practice. He stressed the urgent need for 'AI-Ready medical data' that has undergone standardization, refinement, and quality control, identifying the common challenge of transitioning dispersed data into an accessible and manageable structure while reinforcing the structure and meaning of existing data.Lee Eui-kyu highlighted that the core of AI governance is identifying the AIs used by hospitals and establishing approval, verification, and monitoring procedures based on risk levels, ensuring the final judgment authority of medical staff, and maintaining a compliance system that records verification, changes, and incident responses. He added, "Such governance is not a regulation but a foundation for the rapid introduction of safe AI."Yum Min-seob, director of the Korea Health and Medical Information Service, emphasized that the competitiveness of medical AI is not solely created by algorithms but requires high-quality data, standards, and a safe linkage and utilization system to lead to real innovation in medical practice. He introduced the government's basic medical AI strategy, the public medical AI highway, the health information highway (medical MyData), and the national integrated bio big data project, stating, "The Korea Health and Medical Information Service will work to create medical innovations that citizens can feel through medical data and AI."Lee Dong-hoon, representative attorney at Barun, stated, "For the successful implementation of medical AI, comprehensive responses to various regulations related to AI, digital medical products, medical devices, personal information protection, and medical data utilization are essential." He added, "Barun has accumulated expertise and experience in digital healthcare, personal information and data, AI regulations, and consulting for medical institutions, and will faithfully fulfill its role as a strategic partner in proactively addressing and resolving legal issues faced by hospitals and medical institutions at each stage of AI transformation." 2026-09-09 10:28:10
  • Deficit Debt Projected to Reach 1,300 Trillion Won by 2030, Says Minister Park Hong-keun
    Deficit Debt Projected to Reach 1,300 Trillion Won by 2030, Says Minister Park Hong-keun Park Hong-keun, the Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, stated that the government projects deficit debt will increase to 1,300 trillion won by 2030, but he believes it can be managed effectively in the medium to long term. He emphasized the importance of assessing not only the scale and growth rate of the debt but also the country's ability to manage it through economic growth.On September 9, during an appearance on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Park said, "It is more important to consider whether we can manage the debt rather than just looking at its size or speed." He explained that when comparing with other countries and considering evaluations from international organizations, the situation is manageable.The government estimates that deficit debt will rise from 1,117.1 trillion won in 2027 to 1,312.3 trillion won by 2030, an increase of approximately 195 trillion won over three years.Park presented the ratio of general government debt (D2) to gross domestic product (GDP) as a basis for assessing the debt burden. He noted that South Korea's ratio stands at 54.4%, which is about half of the advanced countries' average of 108.2% as reported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).He mentioned that the debt ratio will change according to GDP growth, citing the projected nominal growth rate of 12.3% for this year. He highlighted the importance of expanding the economy, suggesting that there is potential for even higher growth rates.Regarding the Future Response Fund, which is set to be established with an additional revenue of 162 trillion won, Park described it as a measure to balance future investments and fiscal soundness. He addressed concerns from opposition parties that it could be used for populist spending ahead of elections, emphasizing the need to secure investment resources.Park explained that if all additional revenue were used to pay off debt, there would be insufficient resources for necessary future investments. He argued that investments over the next two to three years are essential to redesign the economic and social systems in response to the competitive landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.He also stated the need to move beyond the limitations of a one-year general account budget system that adjusts spending based on revenue fluctuations.Regarding a legislative provision that allows the Future Response Fund to be used for projects designated by presidential decree, he explained that it serves as a flexible response mechanism for urgent fiscal needs. He added that in the event of new technologies emerging, plans could be submitted to the National Assembly for approval before implementation, even if not explicitly stated in the law.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-09 10:28:00
  • Hanwha Ocean picked as preferred bidder for Thai frigate project
    Hanwha Ocean picked as preferred bidder for Thai frigate project SEOUL, September 9 (AJP) - Hanwha Ocean has been selected as the preferred bidder for a frigate project for the Royal Thai Navy, after beating defense companies from Spain, Singapore and Turkey, the shipbuilder said on Wednesday. The project, worth 16.73 billion baht (US$509 million), covers the construction of a 4,000-ton-class frigate, along with related equipment and integrated maintenance and logistics support. The selection of Hanwha Ocean as the preferred bidder allows the company to begin detailed negotiations with the Royal Thai Navy over the project including its technical specifications, scope and other contract terms. The final contract will be decided after the negotiations are completed. Hanwha Ocean said its track record and accumulated shipbuilding technology helped secure the latest selection, citing its 2013 order to build the 3,600-ton-class frigate HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej for the Thai navy and its delivery in 2018. If the latest project proceeds smoothly, it could lead to additional orders as Thailand plans to expand its fleet of high-performance frigates from four ships to eight by 2037. Hanwha Ocean said it aims to use the project to deepen maritime defense cooperation with Thailand and expand its presence in the global shipbuilding market. AJP Takeaways - Hanwha Ocean was selected as the preferred bidder for a 4,000-ton-class frigate project for the Royal Thai Navy, valued at 16.73 billion baht (US$509 million). - Hanwha Ocean will enter detailed negotiations with the Royal Thai Navy on the frigate's technical specifications, project scope and other contract terms before a final contract is signed. - The project could lead to more orders from Thailand, which plans to expand its high-performance frigate fleet from four ships to eight by 2037, while Hanwha Ocean seeks to strengthen its position in the global shipbuilding market. 2026-09-09 10:26:53
  • Ruling Party Targets Independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon Over Allegations
    Ruling Party Targets Independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon Over Allegations The Democratic Party of Korea has vowed to take action against independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who is facing allegations related to a "new drug solicitation" scandal. Party leader Kim Min-seok referred to Han as "a defective tool from Joseon" and promised measures, including legal action, to address the situation. Members of the ruling coalition, including lawmakers from the Democratic Party, Justice Party, and Progressive Party, also condemned Han, asserting he must face consequences for his actions.During a Supreme Council meeting held at the Jeonbuk Provincial Office, Kim criticized Han for his obsession with the title "Joseon Jeil" (Best of Joseon), suggesting it would be more accurate to call him "a defective tool from Joseon."Kim instructed party leaders, spokespersons, and members of the Legislative Judiciary Committee to thoroughly investigate the allegations and prepare legal responses.Supreme Council member Han Min-soo strongly condemned Han's alleged use of deceptive political tactics to sway public opinion, claiming that Han received investigative materials from internal sources within the prosecution. He stated, "The edited materials circulated by Han are unverified and twisted to misrepresent the facts. If he used investigation materials obtained through internal contacts during his tenure as Minister of Justice, it would constitute a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act."Another Supreme Council member, Jeon Yong-ki, emphasized the need to clarify how a former politician could access internal prosecution reports, calling for an end to the misuse of prosecutorial information in politics.Members of the Legislative Judiciary Committee from the ruling coalition also held a press conference, denouncing Han's alleged malicious political attacks. Lawmakers Kim Nam-hee and Kim Gi-pyo demanded transparency regarding how Han obtained the materials, with Kim Gi-pyo stating, "Han is manipulating and fabricating information to tarnish Kim's candidacy."Progressive Party lawmaker Son Sol accused Han of distorting and inciting public sentiment by releasing internal investigation materials since September 2, labeling it as "a malicious practice of prosecutorial manipulation and a vicious custom."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-09 10:24:10
  • Kim Min-seok Calls for Action Against Independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon
    Kim Min-seok Calls for Action Against Independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party, has directed the party to take legal action and establish measures in response to various allegations raised by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon against Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice. He also stated that he would refer to Han as 'Chosun's Bad Prosecutor' instead of 'Chosun's Best.'During a party meeting held at the Jeonbuk Provincial Office on the morning of September 9, Kim noted, "The issues surrounding the nominee will be treated as a separate matter from the confirmation hearing, and we will take action at the party level against Han."Kim emphasized that the allegations against the nominee, which Han has been exposing, will lead to a process of reforming the political prosecution system. He warned, "I believe that many of Han's claims could not have occurred without collaborators within the prosecution. We will thoroughly investigate the truth and take legal action against anyone involved in leaking information."He added, "I ask the party members, including Han Min-soo and Jeon Yong-ki, who pointed out Han during the meeting, as well as the spokespersons and, if necessary, the personnel from the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, to prepare to track Han and take legal action separately from the nominee's confirmation hearing." He assessed that Han has begun to stab the last knife into the political prosecution he once thrived in.Furthermore, Kim remarked that Han's obsession with the title 'Chosun's Best Prosecutor' is notable, suggesting, "It might be more accurate to call him 'Chosun's Bad Prosecutor' or 'Chosun's Bad Scissors.'"* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-09 10:24:10
  • Song Young-gil: Yoon Hye-in Must Make Her Own Decision, Kim Seung-won to Be Scrutinized at Hearing
    Song Young-gil: Yoon Hye-in Must Make Her Own Decision, Kim Seung-won to Be Scrutinized at Hearing Song Young-gil, a member of the Democratic Party, expressed contrasting views on September 9 regarding Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, and Yoon Hye-in, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, ahead of their confirmation hearings. He defended Kim, stating that the issues surrounding him should be verified during the hearing, while he pressured Yoon to make her own decision.During an appearance on YTN Radio's 'Jang Sung-cheol's News Myungdang,' Song said, "If Kim is scrutinized during the confirmation hearing and his explanations are thoroughly examined, the public will be convinced."Regarding Yoon, he warned, "If she does not resign from her ministerial candidacy, she may face difficulties in both the ministerial position and her proportional representation seat. If things go wrong, she might not be able to serve as a lawmaker at all."He pointed out the controversy surrounding Yoon's dual roles, stating, "Typically, local district lawmakers do not resign when taking on ministerial roles, but proportional representatives are not directly elected by the public. If she becomes a minister, she may not be able to fulfill her duties as a lawmaker effectively."He added, "Public sentiment is seriously unfavorable, especially among the 2030 generation. If appointing a minister from this demographic leads to adverse effects, that should be taken into account."In response to the allegations surrounding Kim regarding a 'COVID-19 drug solicitation,' he directed criticism at independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, saying, "This is an issue that should be verified during the hearing; it is not a matter for a witch hunt based on one person's statements."He accused Han of deliberately inflating the allegations, stating, "Since he is being overshadowed by the leader of the People Power Party, he is unnecessarily using Kim Seung-won as a pawn to create his own presence."Song further criticized the handling of evidence, saying, "I don't know how they obtained the evidence or recordings, but selectively editing and leaking them to create misunderstandings among the public and viewers is a typical misconduct of a special prosecutor. Engaging in such editing in Yeouido shows a lack of qualifications as a lawmaker."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-09 10:24:10
  • South Korea Considers Deployment to Hormuz Amid Iranian Warnings
    South Korea Considers Deployment to Hormuz Amid Iranian Warnings The South Korean government is moving forward with discussions regarding a potential military deployment to the Hormuz Strait, prompted by U.S. pressure. The government has reiterated its stance on the warnings issued by Iran, stating that communication is ongoing.A senior official from the Blue House stated on September 9 during a press briefing in Paris that the topic of deployment should not be the sole focus of discussions surrounding the upcoming South Korea-France summit. "We are currently in the review stage, and nothing has been definitively decided," the official said. They also commented on the Defense Ministry's decision to send an investigation team to the United Arab Emirates, noting that this is part of the review process and that no final decisions have been made.The Defense Ministry announced the previous day that it had dispatched a team to assess the situation in Hormuz. The ministry emphasized that the investigation is aimed at understanding the local security environment and is not a precursor to deployment, countering claims that the U.S. had set a deadline for the deployment of South Korean assets to the Strait.Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated. According to reports from the AP and other outlets, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) retaliated against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after they launched two ballistic missile attacks targeting U.S. Navy ships over the past two days, striking five oil tankers in response.Iran has also issued warnings to South Korea. Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, recently posted a message in Korean on social media, stating that military presence or participation in operations in the Hormuz Strait could be seen as direct support for U.S. aggression, potentially leading to serious consequences. He also included a photo with the phrase, "There will be a price for dangerous choices."In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon held a regular briefing in Seoul, stating, "We are closely communicating with relevant parties to restore peace and stability in the Middle East and ensure the free passage of all vessels, including ours, through the Hormuz Strait," reiterating previous statements.Additionally, a Foreign Ministry official told reporters that they have not received any official protests from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. "Our diplomatic channels remain open, and we are not currently considering summoning the Iranian ambassador to South Korea," the official said, indicating a cautious approach as discussions about deployment continue.Jang Ji-hyang, a senior researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, suggested in a conversation with Aju Economy that South Korea could communicate to Iran that its vessels are trapped in the Hormuz Strait, which is vital for energy security, and that it seeks to engage in defensive activities in accordance with international norms for its national interests and the public good of the international community. He also mentioned that it might be worthwhile to revisit Iran's stance on incidents like the Namooho attack. 2026-09-09 10:24:00
  • Residents of Wanju County to Receive 300,000 Won Before Chuseok
    Residents of Wanju County to Receive 300,000 Won Before Chuseok Wanju County in North Jeolla Province will provide a livelihood support fund of 300,000 won to each resident.On September 9, Wanju County announced that the support fund aims to alleviate the financial burden on residents due to high oil prices, exchange rates, and inflation, while also promoting local consumption to help small businesses and self-employed individuals recover their sales.The eligible recipients include 100,877 registered residents, marriage immigrants, and permanent residents who have been living in Wanju County as of July 31 and continue to reside there until the application date. Those who passed away before the application date, moved out, or have had their residency registration canceled are excluded from eligibility.The application and payment period runs from today until October 30.From September 8 to 11, payments will be made directly at 640 locations, including senior centers in towns and villages. On September 12 and 13, as well as on weekends, payments will be available at the administrative welfare centers and civil service centers in the residents' respective towns and villages for those who cannot visit during weekdays.From September 14 to October 30, residents can apply at their local administrative welfare centers and civil service centers on weekdays and receive their funds immediately.Household heads can collect the funds for all household members by bringing their identification. Household members can either receive their funds directly or submit a delegation form along with necessary identification to collect the funds on behalf of the entire household.The support funds will be distributed via prepaid cards, which can be used within Wanju County until December 31 of this year. However, usage will be restricted in certain sectors, including entertainment and gambling.Wanju County Mayor Yoo Hee-tae expressed hope that the support funds will ease the financial burden on residents and invigorate the local economy. He added, "We will carefully monitor the voices from the payment sites and ensure that residents can receive their funds without any inconvenience."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-09-09 10:24:00
  • Ransomware gangs turn on each other, Group-IB says
    Ransomware gangs turn on each other, Group-IB says SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - Rival ransomware crews are increasingly fighting among themselves, weaponizing supply chains and enlisting artificial intelligence, in a shift South Korea felt early when one breach exposed dozens of its banks. Ransomware groups logged 2,393 attacks on their public leak sites in the first quarter, up 4.5 percent from the previous quarter, across 79 active groups, according to Group-IB's 2026 ransomware ecosystem report released Tuesday. The structure that once organized the trade is breaking down. A handful of large ransomware as a service operations used to recruit affiliates and split the proceeds, but affiliates skimming funds and operators refusing to pay have eroded trust in the criminal underground. The report said that it led to pushing more attackers to work alone and sharpening competition. Korea has already lived that scenario. The threat has already surfaced in Korea. Ransomware reports to the Korea Internet & Security Agency jumped to 192 in the second half of 2025 from 82 in the first half, and the January attack on conglomerate Kyowon Group crippled about 600 of its 800 servers and exposed as many as 9.6 million user accounts. AI is deepening the threat across the attack chain, Group-IB said, citing its use to help build the payload behind the group known as The Gentlemen and to set ransom demands based on victims' cyber insurance coverage. The firm urged companies to watch underground markets for stolen access before intrusions begin and to fold contractors and service providers into their security reviews. AJP Takeaways - Group-IB's 2026 ransomware ecosystem report, released Sept. 9, 2026, counted 2,393 attacks posted to leak sites by 79 active groups in the first quarter, up 4.5 percent from the previous quarter, as criminal operators fragmented into competing independent crews. - Ransomware reports to the Korea Internet & Security Agency rose to 192 in the second half of 2025 from 82 in the first half. - Attackers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to develop malware and calibrate ransom demands, prompting Group-IB to urge firms to monitor underground access markets and extend security assessments to contractors and service providers. 2026-09-09 10:22:26