Seoul: Shinsegae I and C Inc., the information technology arm of Shinsegae Group, announced a significant data breach involving the personal information of approximately 80,000 employees and subcontractors. The company assured that customer data remains secure and unaffected by this breach.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the data leak was detected within Shinsegae's internal intranet system. The compromised information includes corporate ID numbers, names, departments, and IP addresses of both Shinsegae group employees and staff from subcontractors associated with Shinsegae I and C. The company has confirmed that no customer data was involved in this incident.

Shinsegae first identified the breach on Wednesday and promptly reported it to the Korea Internet and Security Agency by Friday afternoon. In response to the breach, the company initiated an emergency inspection and implemented protective measures to safeguard against further data leaks.

While a malware infection is suspected to be the cause of the breach, the exact details are still under investigation. A Shinsegae official stated, "We are currently investigating the exact cause of the incident." Shinsegae is a prominent retailer in South Korea, known for its department stores, duty-free outlets, the E-Mart discount store chain, and the Starbucks coffee franchise.