No damage reported following hacking incident involving N. Korean defectors

SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry said Sunday that there has been no damage reported in connection with a recent hacking of personal information of around 1,000 North Korean defectors.

On Friday, the ministry said that personal information of 997 North Korean defectors, such as their name, date of birth and address, were compromised as a computer at a state-run resettlement center was infected with a malicious code.

The government recognized the hacking possibility on Dec. 17 and conducted an on-site inspection two days later and confirmed the cyber aggression. The incident was referred to the police for further investigation.

"Since Thursday, we have informed affected people of the hacking incident and operated a center to receive any damage reports," the ministry told reporters in a text message. "So far, no complaints have been filed."

It is still unclear who was behind the hacking and where the attack originated. Asked whether North Korea might have been the perpetrator, a government official earlier said that he cannot answer since an investigation is currently under way.

The hacking incident happened at the Hana Center in North Gyeongsang Province, located in the country's southeastern region. The government runs a total of 25 such centers across the country to help around 30,000 North Korean defectors resettle here.

The ministry earlier said it will get to the bottom of the incident in close cooperation with the police and do its best to prevent such cases from happening again.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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