Some 30 complaints filed after massive hacking of N. Korean defectors: official

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- Around 30 complaints have been filed with the government since a massive hacking of personal information of North Korean defectors, the unification ministry said Wednesday.

On Friday, the ministry said that the personal information of 997 North Korean defectors, including their names, dates of birth and addresses, had been compromised when a computer at a state-run resettlement center was infected with malicious code.

"About 30 complaints from the affected people have been filed," Baik Tae-hyun, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

"Some demand modifications of their personal information, such as names and residential addresses, and others called for removal of their info altogether. Some even worried about their families living in the North," he added.

An investigation is currently under way to figure out who was behind the unprecedented large-scale hacking involving North Korean defectors.

Asked whether North Korea might be behind it, a ministry official earlier said that he could not answer as the investigation has not been completed.

Of the total affected defectors, about 650 people have been notified of the hacking. The spokesman said the government is continuing to contact the remainder to put them on notice.

The government earlier promised to do its utmost to prevent such an incident from happening again.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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