Korea Tourism Organization Records Most Hacking Attempts for Second Consecutive Year

Min Hyungbae:
"Urgent Need to Strengthen Security
in Core K-Culture Industries"

Min Hyungbae, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Approximately 13.8% of hacking attempts targeting the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated organizations over the past six years were concentrated on the Korea Tourism Organization. In particular, the Korea Tourism Organization was identified as the institution with the most hacking attacks for two consecutive years.

On September 17, Min Hyungbae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Gwangju Gwangsan-eul), revealed data submitted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism titled "Status of Hacking Attack Attempts on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Its Affiliated Organizations Over the Past Six Years." According to the data, from 2019 to August 2024, there were a total of 88,419 hacking attempts across 83 affiliated organizations. Of these, 12,172 cases, or 13.8%, targeted the Korea Tourism Organization.

Hacking attempts against the Korea Tourism Organization increased more than sixfold, from 566 cases in 2019 to 3,554 cases in 2024. As of last month, 2,860 cases had already been detected this year. This was followed by the Korea Culture Information Service Agency (7,579 cases), the National Library of Korea (6,626 cases), the Korea Copyright Commission (6,360 cases), and the Korea Press Foundation (3,814 cases).

The total number of hacking attempts has also increased each year. By year, the numbers were 3,954 in 2019, 5,390 in 2020, 11,206 in 2021, 13,863 in 2022, 19,650 in 2023, and 19,662 in 2024, showing a clear upward trend.

However, the number of personnel dedicated to responding to these threats has remained stagnant. The Cyber Security Center of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has maintained a staff of 12 for six consecutive years. In particular, the Korea Tourism Organization increased its information security staff from one in 2020 to three the following year, but as of this year, four years later, the number has reverted to one.

Min Hyungbae stated, "Tourism and intellectual property are core industries of K-culture, yet they remain vulnerable to cyber threats. Since information security is the foundation of national competitiveness and directly linked to public trust, it is urgent to expand professional staff and establish proactive security strategies."