Seoul: Personal information of all South Korean diplomats is presumed to have been leaked due to a data breach at an online education system affiliated with the foreign ministry, officials stated. The breach involves data from the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA), affecting approximately 10,000 records, including those of retirees and officials from other government agencies.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the foreign ministry was alerted to suspicious access to the KNDA's online education system in early February by a government agency. Following this notification, the ministry promptly shut down the system, which has remained offline as the investigation continues. The breach is believed to have occurred between April and May last year, with unauthorized access maintained until February.

The compromised server stored educational videos and trainee information such as names, user IDs, positions, email addresses, and encrypted passwords. However, officials noted that no "sensitive personal data," such as identification numbers or home addresses, appeared to be affected. The ministry has not yet confirmed the extent of the data compromised, acknowledging that the 10,000 figure represents the maximum potential cases involved.

Efforts to identify the perpetrator are ongoing, but the foreign ministry currently lacks the technical analysis needed to pinpoint the attacker. "We do not rule out any possibility, including involvement by overseas hacker groups," an official said, emphasizing the potential national security implications of the breach.