South Korea's Lee orders review of cybersecurity task force
The move follows a string of breaches at financial firms, including Mirae Asset Global Investments, Bithumb and Daishin Securities.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered officials on Tuesday to consider setting up a cybersecurity task force amid a rise in hacking cases at financial firms, South Korea's national news agency Yonhap reported.
Lee gave the order at a Cabinet meeting after a series of attacks on local financial firms exposed customer information, most recently at Mirae Asset Global Investments, crypto exchange Bithumb and Daishin Securities.
Lee's remarks also followed the hacking of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, which led to the theft of more than $6 billion worth of cryptocurrency.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has since blamed North Korea for that cyber theft.
Lee said cyber threats have grown to the point of posing a serious danger to the national economy, security and people's everyday lives.
He added that hacking techniques are becoming more sophisticated and spreading with the development of artificial intelligence, exposing clear limits in current security systems, and he called for "a comprehensive prevention system."
Lee also asked officials to consider creating a pan-government agency, which he described as a "cybersecurity czar agency," to act as a control tower for security in both the public and private sectors.
He further instructed officials to thoroughly fix cybersecurity shortcomings at major state institutions and key infrastructure, including information communications, energy and finance.
Separately, Lee ordered speedy discussions on restricting teenagers' use of social media, saying, "The harmful effects appear to be greater than what we think."
The government is seeking to restrict social media sign-ups by young teens and their use of certain services, including algorithm-based ones, to protect adolescents from harm.
Lee told Kim Jong-cheol, chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission, to hold discussions thoroughly and promptly, citing similar efforts under way in Europe, Australia and Canada.
Kim said the plan must be pursued on the basis of social consensus and that his agency plans to finalize it in the first half of next year after gathering public input.
