Han Seong-sook Apologizes as Data Breach Sparks Fears of Stolen Business Ideas

[Anchor]

A data breach has occurred involving the personal information of 5,000 successful applicants for "Startup for All," a government-led entrepreneurship project. While Minister of SMEs and Startups Han Seong-sook has issued an apology, victims remain anxious that their business ideas may be stolen.

Reporter Choi Seung-hoon has the story.

[Reporter]

Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, who is currently preparing for her confirmation hearing as Prime Minister, bowed her head on her way to work.

[Han Seong-sook / Prime Minister Nominee and Minister of SMEs and Startups: I sincerely apologize to the users who have experienced worry and inconvenience due to the personal information leak on the 'Startup for All' platform.]

The apology came as the minister responsible for the "Startup for All" project, an initiative to foster entrepreneurial talent, addressed the leak of personal data belonging to 5,000 successful applicants.

On June 15, the basic information of the applicants was made public online. On the same day, their private email addresses, summaries of their business ideas, and evaluation comments were also leaked.

The Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development, which manages personal information for "Startup for All," stated in its breach report that the incident was not caused by an external cyberattack, but by an AI solution company that provides support to the applicants.

It was found that the company used abnormal data retrieval methods to extract information that was supposed to be kept private within the system.

However, the company reportedly claims that its intention was merely to send promotional emails to the applicants and that it only used the email addresses that had been exposed.

[Noh Yong-seok / First Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups: An investigation by the National Intelligence Service confirmed that nine IP addresses made abnormal API calls (data requests). Detailed investigations into the specific locations and the business entities involved are currently underway.]

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to assist the 5,000 affected applicants by providing free registration for certificates that verify their ownership of the ideas. For those who have already registered their businesses, the ministry will also support "technology escrow"—a service that securely stores confidential materials—for one year.

Nevertheless, the anxiety among the victims persists.

[Participant in "Startup for All": I don't know if these protective measures have much meaning now that the data has already been leaked. If a company with more capital than me creates the same thing, my opportunity to start a business will be gone...]

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has decided to postpone the recruitment for the second cohort of "Startup for All," which was scheduled for next month, and will focus on preventing the misuse of the leaked business ideas.

Reported by Choi Seung-hoon | Video by Jo Chun-dong | Video Editing by Park Na-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.