Suspected cyberattacks targeting two major churches in South Korea may have compromised the personal information of hundreds of thousands of members, including data connected to what is regarded as the world’s largest congregation.
Cybersecurity company Oasis Security said it discovered attack logs and account information associated with Seoul’s Yoido Full Gospel Church and SaRang Church on a server located overseas.
According to Reuters, an initial review suggested that information linked to as many as 850,000 members of Yoido Full Gospel Church may have been exposed.
Yoido Full Gospel Church said Wednesday that the Korea Internet & Security Agency informed the congregation of the incident Tuesday afternoon. The affected records included names and birth dates, while some also contained phone numbers, addresses and resident registration numbers.
Senior Pastor Lee Young-hoon said he felt a “deep sense of responsibility for causing concern among our members as a result of this incident, and I sincerely apologize.”
The attack logs also point to possible use of artificial intelligence tools. Oasis Security said the records contained references to “sub-agents” and automated attack reports, although the extent of AI involvement has not been determined.
“The file contained 2,629 changes to resident registration numbers, 3,964 changes to phone numbers and 7,202 changes to addresses,” Yoido said in a written statement.
After becoming aware of the breach, the church blocked external access to its systems, changed server passwords and began contacting people who may have been affected. It also plans to upgrade network protections and hire outside cybersecurity firms to identify additional vulnerabilities.
SaRang Church, another large Seoul congregation, is separately investigating a suspected breach involving records tied to about 89,000 church members and 286 staff members, including its senior pastor.
Attack records indicate that SaRang Church data may have been taken in August. The congregation has established an emergency response team, reported the incident to authorities and said it is working to determine the cause of the breach and strengthen its defenses.
Investigations at both churches are continuing, and neither congregation has yet identified how the attackers gained access to its systems.
Yoido Full Gospel Church is a Pentecostal congregation affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Founded by Pastor David Yonggi Cho in 1958, it is considered by the denomination to be the world’s largest congregation.
SaRang Church is a Presbyterian congregation in southern Seoul that was founded by Pastor Ok Han-hum in 1978.
