Bank Hacking Crisis... 4,778 Attacks on MOLIT Over 5 Years, 11 Affiliated Agencies Not Connected to National Security Monitoring Network

4,778 Attempts from 2021 to 2025:
Korea Real Estate Board: 655 Cases, Korea Railroad Corporation: 579 Cases
SR Sees Sevenfold Surge in Hacking Attempts Ahead of KORAIL Integration
Cho Incheol: "There Must Be No Cybersecurity Gaps in Citizens' Daily Lives"

Amid heightened concerns over cybersecurity following a recent hacking incident at a major commercial bank, it has been revealed that one out of every three agencies under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport — which is responsible for national infrastructure — is not even connected to the national security monitoring network that continuously monitors for hacking attempts.

According to data obtained from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport by Assemblyman Cho Incheol of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on October 6, there were a total of 4,778 attempted cyberattacks targeting the ministry and its affiliated agencies over the five years from 2021 to 2025. This means there was an average of 956 hacking attempts each year.

Signboard of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the Government Sejong Complex. Photo by SeoYoon Choi

The highest number of attempted attacks was reported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport with 766 cases, followed by Korea Real Estate Board (655 cases), Korea Railroad Corporation (579 cases), Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (557 cases), and Korea Expressway Corporation (461 cases). Sensitive data directly linked to daily life, such as real estate transaction prices, subscription information, and the national transportation network, have become prime targets for hackers.

In particular, SR, which operated the high-speed rail (SRT) and was integrated into Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) in September, became a concentrated target for hackers. The number of detected cases rose from 23 in 2021 to 44 in 2022, 29 in 2023, 97 in 2024, and 175 in 2025 — an approximately 7.6-fold increase in 2025 compared to 2021.

By attack type, 54.6% of the total were website tampering attempts that exploited system vulnerabilities, while 39.8% were simple intrusion attempts. These numbers represent detected attack attempts and do not indicate cases where the actual network was breached or information was compromised.

There were still a significant number of agencies not yet connected to the national security monitoring network, which detects, analyzes, and responds to such attacks on a constant basis. As of September this year, 11 out of 31 affiliated agencies surveyed (35.5%) remained unconnected.

These included: Gadukdo New Airport Construction Corporation, Construction Engineers Training Institute, Spatial Information Industry Promotion Agency, Spatial Information Quality Management Institute, National Aviation Museum of Korea, Automobile Insurance Claims Support Center, KORAIL Tourism Development, KORAIL Logistics, KORAIL Tech, Korea Expressway Corporation Service, and Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation.

Despite being required by the internal information security work regulations of the ministry and guidance from the National Intelligence Service to establish control centers and ensure connection to the national monitoring system, many of these agencies are not in compliance.

Assemblyman Cho Incheol said, "With around 1,000 attacks detected each year, the prolonged lack of connection among affiliated agencies is unacceptable. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport must carefully review the budgets, personnel, and system conditions to ensure there are no cyber security gaps in the facilities that citizens use daily, and fulfill its responsibility for management and oversight."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.