China on Alleged "26-Year-Old in Guangdong" Behind South Korean Financial Sector Hacks: "Unaware of Specific Circumstances"

Maintains principled stance against hacking
"Opposes false information for political purposes"

Regarding reports that a China-based resident may have been involved in hacking attacks targeting South Korea's financial sector, the Chinese government stated its principled opposition to hacking.

A bank ATM installed inside a building in downtown Seoul on the 5th. Yonhap News Agency

At a regular briefing on October 8, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "China has consistently opposed hacking and taken action against it in accordance with the law. We are even more opposed to spreading false information for political purposes."

Asked about a report by U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that Chinese-made artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used to hack South Korean financial institutions and that the attacker may reside in Guangdong Province, China, Mao said, "I am not aware of the specific circumstances."

In a report released on October 7 (local time), CrowdStrike said that a person suspected of being behind cyberattacks targeting South Korean financial institutions could be a 26-year-old resident of Guangdong Province, China. CrowdStrike added, however, that this was an inference based on circumstantial evidence and did not constitute a confirmed identification.

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