Investigation launched into Lotte Card hacking incident

The Personal Information Protection Commission has launched an investigation into the Lotte Card hacking incident that exposed the personal data of 2.97 million customers.

The commission said on Monday that it opened the investigation after being notified by the Financial Supervisory Service on Friday that Lotte Card had reported a personal credit information leak.

“The investigation will not only determine whether credit information was leaked but also examine whether other personal data was compromised and if there were any violations of the Personal Information Protection Act,” the commission said, adding it will work closely with financial authorities.

Lotte Card, majority-owned by private equity firm MBK Partners, confirmed that the hacking incident exposed the data of about 30 percent of its 9.64 million holders.

Of that total, the information stolen from about 280,000 customers included particularly sensitive data such as card numbers, CVC numbers and resident registration numbers.

Lotte Card CEO Cho Jwa-jin apologized at a press conference on Thursday, saying he felt “deeply responsible and sincerely sorry.” The company said it will fully compensate for any damages caused by the breach.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]