SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - The South Korean government has vowed proactive intervention to fight cyberattacks and protect consumer privacy as nationwide consumer services reel from a string of data breaches.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, presiding over an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday, ordered a comprehensive overhaul of telecommunications and financial services regulations to better address the growing threat.
"Realizing a digital transition and building an AI powerhouse would be a pipe dream without security protection," Kim said.
He stressed that the wave of hacking incidents poses a "threat to the public," pledging to revisit the regulatory framework to toughen penalties and strengthen government oversight.
Under the new approach, the government will launch investigations of its own initiative when deemed necessary, instead of waiting for companies to report breaches.
The series of high-profile data leaks has fueled criticism of corporate negligence.
"It is unclear whether companies lack sufficient staff or whether their staff are underqualified, but attackers continue to exploit weaknesses in corporate systems. Korea grew rapidly as an IT powerhouse, yet it seems unprepared for the side effects and vulnerabilities that came with such fast growth."
reporter
Im Yoon-seo
lyseo0330@ajupress.com
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