South Korea identity thefts forces ID overhaul
Source: AP-EXCITE
By KIM TONG-HYUNG
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After an avalanche of data breaches, South Korea's national identity card system has been raided so thoroughly by thieves that the government says it might have to issue new ID numbers to every citizen over 17 at a possible cost of billions of dollars.
The admission is an embarrassment for a society that prides itself on its high-tech skills and has some of the fastest Internet access.
The issue came to a head after 20 million people including the president, Park Geun-hye, were victims of a data theft at three credit card companies. Park acknowledged in January change was needed and ordered a study of possible options. A decision is due later this year.
Rebuilding the system and tightening security could take up to a decade, according to Kilnam Chon, a researcher known as the "Father of the Korean Internet" for his pioneering work in online technology in the 1980s.
FULL story at link.
In this Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 photo, depositors use automated teller machines of Kookmin Bank in Seoul, South Korea. After an avalanche of data breaches, South Korea{2019}s national identity card system has been raided so thoroughly by thieves that the government says it might have to issue new ID numbers to every citizen over 17 at a possible cost of billions of dollars. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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