Presidential office to launch cybersecurity task force amid Kakao outage

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- The presidential National Security Office will launch an interagency task force to deal with cybersecurity issues following last weekend's massive disruption to top mobile messenger KakaoTalk's service, the presidential office said Monday.

National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han will head the task force and preside over meetings with senior officials from the science and defense ministries, the National Intelligence Service, the prosecution, the police and the Defense Security Support Command, to check cybersecurity conditions, deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung told reporters.

The decision was made at a weekly meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and his senior secretaries earlier in the day, Lee said.

KakaoTalk, South Korea's top mobile messenger, ground to a halt on Saturday afternoon after a fire broke out at a data center used by its operator Kakao Corp.

The fire caused a server outage that suspended everything from everyday communication on KakaoTalk to ride-hailing and public services tied to the app.

hague@yna.co.kr
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