"19.53 Million Personal Records Leaked from TVING"... 6.5 Million More Than Initial Estimate

The scale of the personal data breach at the over-the-top (OTT) streaming service TVING has been identified as affecting 19.53 million people to date.

This figure is more than 6.5 million higher than the government's initial estimate of 13 million.

According to data submitted by the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Ministry of Science and ICT to Representative Lee Jung-hun of the Democratic Party of Korea on June 22, the number of victims in the TVING data breach has been confirmed at 19.53 million.

This marks the fourth-largest personal data breach in South Korean history, following Coupang (approximately 37.56 million), Cyworld/Nate (approximately 35 million), and SK Telecom (approximately 23.24 million).

The leaked data reportedly includes user IDs, names, dates of birth, passwords, refund account numbers, Connecting Information (CI), and Duplication Information (DI).

Experts point out that because CI and DI are difficult to change, there is a high risk of secondary damages, such as identity theft.

The government is currently investigating why the scale of the leak significantly exceeds the number of TVING's paid subscribers (approximately 5 million) and its monthly active users (MAU, 8.82 million as of May).

Authorities are also verifying whether the leaked data includes information from withdrawn members, dormant accounts, or accounts created through affiliated services.

In addition to the scale of the leak, the government is examining the appropriateness of the company's response after it became aware of the incident.

Rep. Lee pointed out that although TVING detected abnormal signs on May 30, it did not confirm the external transmission of large-capacity files until June 2.

However, these details are subject to final confirmation during the government's investigation.

A TVING official stated, "We once again apologize for causing concern to our customers due to this incident," adding, "A joint public-private investigation team is currently looking into the circumstances, scale, and scope of the leak. We will promptly implement customer protection measures and fulfill our responsibilities, including providing necessary support and compensation."

The official further added, "We will focus all our capabilities on inspecting and improving our overall security system to prevent any recurrence."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.