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Lotte Card hack may have exposed information on millions of customers, investigators say

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 11:29 Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 17:13

Lotte Card headquarters in Jung District, central Seoul [YONHAP]

A data breach at Lotte Card may have exposed the personal information of millions of customers, far exceeding initial estimates and sparking fears of one of Korea’s largest financial security incidents in years.

Lotte Card and financial regulators are in the final stages of investigating the extent of the information leak and number of victims. Lotte Card has more than 9.6 million members. Lotte Card CEO Cho Jwa-jin is expected to make a public apology and announce countermeasures by the end of this week, at the latest.

Lotte Card initially reported to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) that about 1.7 gigabytes of data had been stolen. But on-site inspections suggest the breach is far more serious, potentially exposing information on millions of customers rather than just tens of thousands.

The FSS told People Power Party Rep. Kang Min-kuk’s office that the leaked data appears to include card information and online payment requests, raising the likelihood of personal information exposure.

“We are preparing to disclose the breach and specify affected customers as soon as the investigation confirms the details,” a Lotte Card official said.

Attention is also focused on whether Lotte Card will announce compensation measures in addition to practical steps such as card replacement. After a hacking incident earlier this year, SK Telecom offered users one month of additional discounts through its T Membership affiliates as a form of compensation.

President Lee Jae Myung also weighed in, ordering regulators to prepare strong countermeasures, including punitive fines, against companies that repeatedly suffer security breaches.

“Recent hacking incidents at telecom and financial companies have left the public deeply unsettled,” Lee said.

Industry observers are also keeping a close eye on MBK Partners, Lotte Card’s largest shareholder. Critics argue that the private equity firm has focused excessively on maximizing profit while neglecting investment in cybersecurity.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]