Tootfinder

SK Hynix will invest ~$12.9B to build an advanced chip packaging plant in South Korea to meet rising memory chip demand, targeting completion by the end of 2027 (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sk-hynix…

"The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are forcing financial firms to compensate voice phishing victims, regardless of who is at fault, fanning concerns over how far consumer protection should go without distorting incentives in the financial system, market watchers said Monday."

Financial firms warn mandatory voice phishing compensation could backfire
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are forcing financial firms to compensate voice phishing victims, regardless of who i...

Suspected ransomware attack threatens one of South Korea’s largest companies https://therecord.media/kyowon-group-south-korea-suspected-ransomware-attack

U.S. plans to ask visitors to disclose 5 years of social media history

The proposal would affect travelers from countries on the visa waiver program,
including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Japan and South Korea
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration

U.S. plans to ask visitors to disclose 5 years of social media history
The proposal would affect travelers from countries on the visa waiver program, including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Japan and South Korea.

Huh, I had no idea about Hitler's Parkinsons! Especially ironic given the Nazi targeting of disabled people.
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:f7utvjkqbgwfjonqtpfcf5fu/post/3m7svhluplk2k

Denise Wheeler (@denisedwheeler.bsky.social)
Brezhnev slurred through speeches and could barely walk yet "ruled" the USSR until 1982. Kim Jong-il vanished for months after his 2008 stroke that North Korea never acknowledged. Hitler hid his trembling Parkinson's hand behind his back and under tables.

"South Korea to stop breeding bears to extract their bile - but hundreds are still trapped in pens"
#SouthKorea #Bears #Animals

South Korea vows to stop breeding bears to extract their bile
South Korea officials have confirmed that the controversial bear bile farming industry will come to an end as part of an animal welfare drive.

OpenAI is piloting group chats in ChatGPT in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan; up to 20 users can be invited to prompt ChatGPT in a shared space (OpenAI)
https://openai.com/index/group-chats-in-chatgpt

Korea has had it up to here with all these data breaches
Coupang beset on all sides after data leak sparks full-scale regulatory assault
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/n

Coupang beset on all sides after data leak sparks full-scale regulatory assault
Coupang's turmoil, triggered by a massive data leak, has now become a full-blown regulatory risk, as the New York-listed e-commerce giant faces nearly 10 ongoing investigations.

Heute vor 11 Jahren: Am 13. Januar 2015 lehnte Washington das Angebot Nordkoreas ab, Atomtests auszusetzen wenn die USA im Gegenzug eine jährliche Frühjahrsübung mit Südkorea absagen würden. Die USA fordern stattdessen bessere bilaterale Beziehungen sowie nukleare Abrüstung.

Congress moves to block Pentagon from cutting US troops in Europe and South Korea (Morgan Phillips/Fox News)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/congress-moves-block-pentagon-from-cutting-us-troops-europe-south-korea
http://www.memeorandum.com/251208/p97#a251208p97

More than 40 countries impacted by North Korea IT worker scams, crypto thefts https://therecord.media/40-countries-impacted-nk-it-thefts-united-nations

Oh no, not Aspeyyy again, the Western influencer recycling bourgeois propaganda about the DPRK. North Korea is a Marxist-Leninist state; I oppose Marxism-Leninism in the form that produces a vanguardist state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhA5ljeyx84

South Korea's Science Ministry blames Coupang's massive 2025 data leak on management failures and accuses it of defying a government order to preserve data logs (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/bo…

Well, duh ... Yeah, when the US puts on a made-for-movie-that-went-direct-to-dvd seizure of one of Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, yes, one can anticipate a response from Russia.
I seriously doubt that and the the IQ 60 Maga-minds in the Cheato government realize that the US "justification" for the seizure could also justify Pakistan seizing Indian ships or fishing craft, or North Korea taking Japanese ships. It probably would have justified German sink…

💥 Cyclones, mines and a murder: The cursed story of the floating hotel that traveled the Pacific and ended up in North Korea
https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2025-11-…

Cyclones, mines and a murder: The cursed story of the floating hotel that traveled the Pacific and ended up in North Korea
The first ‘flotel’ in history, a seven-story behemoth with tennis courts, opened in 1988 in the middle of the sea. It was a success. That is, until everything went wrong...

https://fortune.com/2025/12/10/coupang-ceo-resigns-south-korea-data-breach/
Wow
Coupang CEO resigns over historic South Korean data breach

Coupang CEO resigns over historic South Korean data breach
Nearly two-thirds of people in the country were affected by the breach, which granted unauthorized access to their shipping addresses and phone numbers.

Prinzip Korea

VC fund a16z crypto says it is expanding to Asia and opening an office in Seoul, calling South Korea the world's second-largest crypto market (Sam Reynolds/CoinDesk)
https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/12/10/a16z-cryp…

Andreessen Horowitz Crypto Unit to Expand Into Asia With South Korea Office
The crypto VC says it's opening its first Asia-based office in Seoul.

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #SeekAndDestroy
Kreator:
🎵 Riot of Violence
#Kreator
https://kreator.bandcamp.com/track/riot-of-violence-live-in-korea
https://open.spotify.com/track/61GIlfIVVF7vxKbqcjQuUB

Teslas Bestellung von Akku-Kathoden: Statt 2,9 Milliarden nur 7.000 Dollar
Teslas Cybertruck braucht Akkuzellen im 4680-Format. Doch wer braucht Cybertrucks? Ausbaden müssen das Zulieferer, zum Beispiel in Korea.

North Korea: teenagers ‘executed for watching Squid Game’ as regime wages war on K-Drama and K-Pop | Amnesty International UK
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/north-korea-teenagers-executed-for-watching-squid-game-as-regime-wages-war-on-k-pop/

So much cybersecurity news, so little time. Check out today's Metacurity for a quick run-down of the most crucial infosec developments you should know today, including
--Hackers claim to be selling Target's internal source code,
--Poland thwarted power system cyberattack,
--Hackers accessed the systems of Spanish energy provider Endesa and Energía XXI,
--Personal finance platform Betterment was hacked through third-party,
--Dutch national sentenced to sev…

Hackers claim to be selling Target's internal source code
Poland thwarted power system cyberattack, Hackers accessed the systems of Spanish energy provider Endesa and Energía XXI, Personal finance platform Betterment was hacked through third-party, Dutch national sentenced to seven years for hacking, Korea's Kyowon Group hit with ransomware, much more

Ukraine Update: Western betrayal in stopping aid shipments leads to Russian victory on the battlefield.
Ukraine is out of ammo, while China and North Korea are uninterrupted in their support of Russia's genocide in Ukraine.
Western media doesn't give a shit, but Giorgio is fighting for his life as he reports from the trenches on the ground in Ukraine.
He shares the friend link so the world can glimpse the terrible truth of what is happening in Ukraine. Evidence of w…

RE: https://social.linux.pizza/@midtsveen/115878047662521734
This is where my anti-imperialist views have to apparently fucking show themselves, fuck American imperialism, fuck north korea, but making false accusations is a fucking moral abomination.<…

It's finally Friday but don't head out for the weekend until you check out today's Metacurity for the top infosec developments you should know, including
--UK ICO fines LastPass $1.6 million over 2022 data breach,
--Cybercrims impersonate cops to get sensitive data on users,
--Throwaway phone numbers undercut SMS 2FA,
--Chinese inverters threaten the power grid,
--Second Irish HSE attack revealed,
--Irish Justice Minister apologizes for gaffe ov…

UK ICO fines LastPass $1.6 million over 2022 data breach
Cybercrims impersonate cops to get sensitive data on users, Throwaway phone numbers undercut SMS 2FA, Chinese inverters threaten the power grid, Second Irish HSE attack revealed, Irish Justice Minister apologizes for gaffe over PSNI data breach, Korea seeks punitive fines over breaches, much more

Disney and CJ ENM's Tving partner to offer bundles that combine access to Disney , Tving, and South Korean streamer Wavve at discounted rates in South Korea (Patrick Brzeski/The Hollywood Reporter)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business…

Disney+ and CJ ENM’s TVING Launch Landmark Streaming Partnership in Korea
The new collaboration — Disney’s first with a local OTT service in Korea — follows the company’s recent deal bringing TVING dramas to Disney+ in Japan.

North Korea halves shell shipments to Russia as its own stockpiles run low, Ukraine's intelligence says: https://benborges.xyz/2025/11/15/north-korea-halves-shell-shipments.html

New National Security Strategy Is Heavy on Rhetoric, Light on Detail (Mark Hertling/The Bulwark)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-national-security-strategy-ways-means-ends-trump-foreign-policy-china-iran-russia-north-korea
http://www.memeorandum.com/251208/p139#a251208p139

Coupang CEO Park Dae-jun resigns after the company incurred South Korea's largest-ever data breach, in which the personal data of 30M people was compromised (Mark Anderson/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

*waves* at @ukmcg.bsky.social #MuseTech25 folk from #FF2025 - it'd be lovely to see more museum presentations at #FF2026 - and the

🤦🏻 More than 40 countries impacted by North Korea IT worker scams, crypto thefts
#korea

More than 40 countries impacted by North Korea IT worker scams, crypto thefts
Eleven countries led a session at the UN headquarters in New York centered around a 140-page report released last fall that covered North Korea’s extensive cyber-focused efforts to fund its nuclear and ballistic weapons program.

4. “But it’s too hard” − I am not asking the world to turn the US into North Korea overnight. I’m asking everyone to make subservience to the US a source of political discontent wherever they live, in whatever way local politics allow.

The Coupang breach is really something in Korea. It's an all-consuming crisis.
A former Coupang engineer, who was aware of flaws in the authentication process, broke into the system in April, a breach that lasted until November.
https://www…

North Korea on Thursday displayed apparent progress in the construction of a
nuclear-powered submarine,
with state media photos showing a largely completed hull,
as leader Kim Jong Un condemned rival South Korea’s push to acquire the technology.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim visited a shipyard to inspect the construction of what the North describes as
an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine,
which the leader has called a…

North Korea shows progress on nuclear-powered submarine
North Korea displayed apparent progress in the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, with state media photos showing a largely completed hull as leader Kim Jong Un condemned rival South Korea’s push to acquire the technology. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday said Kim had visited a shipyard to inspect the construction of what the North describes as an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine, which he has previously called a crucial step in the moderniz…

Seoul cyber investigators seize data, devices from ‘South Korea’s Amazon’ following data breach https://therecord.media/seoul-cyber-investigators-seize-data-korea-tech-giant

A profile of South Korea's SK Hynix, a once unloved memory chipmaker that now enjoys 58% operating margins and a $438B market cap amid the global HBM shortage (Daniel Tudor/Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/3cb37eb1-97e8-44d9-9fa4-ef2a5649da8e

This is your daily reminder that North Korea is a Marxist-Leninist state; I oppose Marxism-Leninism in the form that produces a vanguardist state.

North Korea Makes Russian Language a Required School Subject, Minister Says - The Moscow Times
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/11/27/north-korea-makes-russian-language-a-required-school-subject-minister-says-a91259

North Korea fires ballistic missiles as South Korean president visits China (Cassandra Buchman/Straight Arrow News)
https://san.com/cc/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missiles-as-south-korean-president-visits-china/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260104/p33#a260104p33

Der hotteste Take, den ich heute lesen musste: Stalin und Kim Il-Sung hätten nach ihrer militärischen Invasion des Südens ein einheitliches demokratisches und sozialistisches Korea geschaffen, wenn sich die USA nicht eingemischt hätten. Manchmal überrascht mich die Bildungsferne von weißen Deutschen in Bezug auf Länder außerhalb Europas schon sehr.

Maryland man sentenced for N. Korea IT worker scheme involving US government contracts https://therecord.media/north-korea-it-worker-scheme-maryland-man-sentenced

How I start the new week

"New uses for everyday spaces: South Korea turns parking lots into solar power hubs"
#SouthKorea #SolarPower #Energy

New uses for everyday spaces: South Korea turns parking lots into solar power hubs | The Optimist Daily
South Korea will require large parking lots to install solar canopies, expanding renewable energy while offering everyday benefits to drivers.

Hyundai is making a major bet on EV batteries. The automaker is investing $900M to build a massive battery R&D campus in Korea by 2026.
The goal? Develop breakthrough battery tech in-house, optimize EV performance, and stay ahead in the global race to electrification.

Hyundai Motor Group Drives Next-Generation Battery Innovation with Future Mobility Battery Campus - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe. KRW 1.2 trillion investment to establish Hyundai Motor Group’s first comprehensive battery research and development hub in Anseong, Korea, by the end of 2026 To internalize core battery technologies — cell design, process engineering and integrated control systems — to ... [continued]

South Korea says it has signed an MOU with Arm to strengthen its chip and AI sectors, including a program to train ~1,400 high-level chip design specialists (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/softban…

Several Ukrainian children abducted by Russia forcibly sent to North Korea, expert tells US Senate: https://benborges.xyz/2025/12/04/several-ukrainian-children-abducted-by.html

Check out today's Metacurity for the most crucial cybersecurity developments you should know, including
--Man pleads guilty in the first successful US prosecution of a stalkerware operator,
--Korea warns of hacking forum that steals and sells data,
--NZ High court enjoins publication of stolen medical data,
--UK government launches $282m cyber action plan,
--Threat actor stole and threatens to leak data from insurer Prosura,
--Command injection flaw fou…

Man pleads guilty in the first successful US prosecution of a stalkerware operator
Korea warns of hacking forum that steals and sells data, NZ High court enjoins publication of stolen medical data, UK government launches $282m cyber action plan, Threat actor stole and threatens to leak data from insurer Prosura, Command injection flaw found in D-Link DSL routers, much more

Except they had that boat fall over when they launched it. Confidence is not high.
North Korea shows progress on nuclear-powered submarine | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-nuclear-submarine-trump-042354b0b38bb429f937a4ecb7f70df2

RE: https://social.linux.pizza/@midtsveen/115664279047284587
I don’t support Marxism-Leninism, and therefore do not support North Korea; however, North Korea has consistently supported Palestine since the late 1960s.

"South Korea sets 3.5 million heat pump target in national decarbonization push"
#SouthKorea #Energy #HeatPumps

South Korea sets 3.5 million heat pump target in national decarbonization push
The South Korean government says it will deploy incentives, legal changes and industry backing to scale heat pump adoption nationwide, aiming to cut emissions from fossil fuel–dependent heating by the mid-2030s.

Metacurity is back from a Thanksgiving holiday break with an extensive run-down of the critical cybersecurity developments since last Monday, including
--Some ChatGPT customer data was exposed by a breach at vendor Mixpanel,
--Lazarus Group suspected of $30.6m breach of Upbit,
--Korea's shopping platform Coupang hacked by a former insider to access 30m customers' data,
--Lazarus Group and Kimsuky are DPRK's most prolific hackers,
--Korea arrests four …

Some ChatGPT customers' data were exposed by a breach at vendor Mixpanel
Lazarus Group suspected of $30.6m breach of Upbit, Korea's shopping platform Coupang hacked by a former insider to access 30m customers' data, Lazarus Group and Kimsuky are DPRK's most prolific hackers, Korea arrests four for hacking 120K IP cameras, OnSolve CodeRED platform hit by attack, much more

Trade data shows South Korea's chip exports rose 38.5% YoY to a record $17.26B in November, driven by strong data center demand and higher memory prices (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-…

Two great DH conferences have extended their deadlines!
Digital Humanities Benelux 2026 to December 7 https://2026.dhbenelux.org/
DH2026 in Korea to December 15 ht…

South Korean police arrest four over hacking 120K home security cameras, whose footage was used to make sexually exploitative material; one person made ~$12K (John Yoon/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/world/asia/south-korea-cameras-hacked.html…

120,000 Home Cameras Were Hacked for Sexual Videos, South Korean Police Say
The authorities arrested four people this week in the latest turn in the country’s effort to stop exploitative recordings

Random Sunday browsing: from the directory of all websites in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) http://www.dprkportal.kp/guide to the North Korean Cook Association …

Resources to Learn More About the DPRK (aka North Korea)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fPJjTYGBo4QRuafFkbWTA8imbpr-QP3tD_946Yv_v3A/edit?tab=t.0

The Lazarus group stands accused of stealing approximately 45 billion won ($30.6 million) from Upbit, South Korea's largest cryptocurrency platform.
https://en.yenisafak.com/world/north-koreas-lazarus-hackers-steal-30-million…

North Korea's Lazarus hackers steal $30 million from South Korean exchange
North Korea's Lazarus hacking group is suspected of stealing approximately $30.6 million in cryptocurrency from South Korea's largest digital asset exchange, Upbit.

Russian shadow fleet ship that sank in 2024 carried nuclear reactor components to North Korea, may have been torpedoed, La Verdad reports: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/01/russian-shadow-fleet-ship-that.html

South Korean media: police raided Coupang's HQ, searching for evidence related to a historic data breach that compromised 30M people's personal information (Jane Lanhee Lee/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

South Korea to require facial recognition for new mobile numbers https://therecord.media/south-korea-facial-recognition-phones

Coupang is facing scrutiny after a data leak revealed that major portions of its Korean-language service were built and maintained by Chinese devs--the main suspect in its recent breach is a former Chinese employee who worked on the company’s authentication systems.
http:/…

Coupang Data Breach Raises Scrutiny of Foreign Developer Hiring, Including Large China-Based Teams - Be Korea-savvy
SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang is facing intensifying scrutiny after a major data leak revealed …

Big milestone for Australia's energy transition: Hanwha Energy just got approval for a massive 100 MW battery in southeast Queensland.
This isn't just storage—it'll capture surplus solar, power 15,000 homes during peak demand, and provide critical grid stability services.
A major step toward a more resilient, renewable-powered grid.

Korean company secures grid connection approval for its first big battery in Australia
A two-hour, 100 megawatt battery energy storage system has received approval to connect to the south-east Queensland grid and help stabilise it.

So Korea's Coupang's cyber insurance gives it coverage of only around $682,000.
https://www.chosun.com/english/market-money-en/2025/12/08/KXCKOF2BYJEFHJQJDYZI6MQZSE/

Coupang's 1 Billion Won Insurance Falls Short After 33.7 Million Data Breach
Coupangs 1 Billion Won Insurance Falls Short After 33.7 Million Data Breach Critics demand higher insurance limits as current minimums fail to cover massive breaches, with calls to increase coverage up to 100 billion won

Samsung, SK Group, and others announce billions in domestic investment after US-South Korea trade deal; Samsung plans to invest $310B and SK Group pledged $88B (Kim Tong-Hyung/Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-samsung-…

Samsung Electronics leads new domestic investment plans in South Korea
Samsung Electronics and other major South Korean companies have announced new domestic investment plans. This comes after a meeting with President Lee Jae Myung, who hopes to counter concerns about prioritizing U.S. investments under a recent trade deal. Samsung plans to invest $310 billion over five years to expand domestic operations, including a new production line at its Pyeongtaek hub. Hyundai Motor Group also plans to invest $86.3 billion from 2026 to 2030 in research and development. SK …

Officials accuse North Korea’s Lazarus of $30 million theft from crypto exchange https://therecord.media/officials-accuse-north-korea-hackers-of-attack-on-crypto-exchange

Seoul plans to integrate AI chatbot Maeumi into its suicide prevention hotline, offering immediate emotional support before a human counselor connects (Choi Jeong-yoon/The Korea Herald)
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10667846

Seoul unveils new suicide-prevention measures amid persistent deaths - The Korea Herald
Seoul is confronting persistent suicide pressures, even as its rate remains the lowest in the country, prompting the city to expand both human and artificial in

"According to the report, the spearphishing emails relied on links that appeared trustworthy because they passed through legitimate online advertising and click-tracking systems commonly used to track user engagement."
North Korea-linked hackers pose as human rights activists, report says
<…

North Korea-linked hackers pose as human rights activists, report says - UPI.com
North Korea-linked hackers are using emails that impersonate human rights organizations and financial institutions in phishing attacks, according to a report released Monday.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping,
who told Trump that Taiwan's "return to China" is a key part of Beijing's vision for the world order.
The call between Trump and Xi came weeks after the two leaders met in South Korea, where they agreed to a "framework" for a trade deal that has yet to be finalized

🍳 Light yet strong material inspired by egg whites can cool devices faster
#materials

Light yet strong material inspired by egg whites can cool devices faster
A research team at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed a high-performance heat-dissipating composite material that achieves both eco-friendliness and low-cost processing.

Payments using facial recognition are growing in South Korea as the tech improves; South Korean fintech app Toss has scaled its "Facepay" service to 1M users (Nami Matsuura/Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/techn

Facial recognition payments grow in South Korea as tech improves
AI and 3D photography help increase accuracy, spot fakes

Ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee indicted on nine criminal charges (Jeong Jin-Ho/Korea Joongang Daily)
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-12-29/national/socialAffairs/Exfirst-lady-Kim-Keon-Hee-arrested-and-indicted-on-nine-criminal-charges/2488318
http://www.memeorandum.com/251229/p1#a251229p1

We're halfway through the post-Thanksgiving week, and the cyber news machine is cranking back up again, so check out today's Metacurity for the critical infosec developments you should know, including
--Indian government retreats from spy app mandate,
--US DOJ seizes Myanmar scam center website,
--Coupang execs sold company stock before breach was announced,
--Coupang is reviewing compensation for breach victims,
--Korea's Gmarket hit by string of una…

Indian government retreats from spy app mandate
US DOJ seizes Myanmar scam center website, Coupang execs sold company stock before breach was announced, Coupang is reviewing compensation for breach victims, Korea's Gmarket hit by string of unauthorized payments, Japan's Askul internet service resumes one month post-breach, much more

North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine ask to be sent to South Korea: https://benborges.xyz/2025/12/25/north-korean-soldiers-captured-in.html

Check out today's Metacurity for the critical infosec developments you should know, including
--European authorities dismantle the Cryptomixer service,
--Indian government wants smartphone makers to preload state-owned security app,
--Indian government wants to bar comms apps from working on SIM-less devices,
--Korea launches probe into Coupang breach and threatens punitive damages,
--DPRK hackers target S. Koreans with fake tax invoices,
--Malware-laden…

European authorities dismantle the Cryptomixer service that laundered illicit Bitcoin
Indian government wants smartphone makers to preload state-owned security app, Indian government wants to bar comms apps from working on SIM-less devices, Korea launches probe into Coupang breach and threatens punitive damages, DPRK hackers target S. Koreans with fake tax invoices, much more

Over $3.4 billion in crypto stolen throughout 2025, with North Korea again the top culprit https://therecord.media/over-3-billion-crypto-stolen-2025-north-korea

Samsung, up 125%, and SK Hynix, up 268%, accounted for nearly half of the 76% gain in South Korea's Kospi, the world's best-performing major stock index in 2025 (Youkyung Lee/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

Korea is intense in its reaction to the Coupang breach.
Coupang CEO Harold Rogers appeared before the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency as a suspect in a criminal investigation into whether the e-commerce company obstructed a government probe through an internal review of a large-scale data breach.
https://m.koreaherald.co…

Coupang CEO questioned in first police appearance over data breach - The Korea Herald
Coupang CEO Harold Rogers appeared before police Friday as a suspect in an investigation into whether the e-commerce company obstructed a government probe throu

Naver agrees to acquire Dunamu, which runs South Korea's biggest crypto exchange Upbit, in a $10.3B all-stock deal; Upbit has 80% market share in South Korea (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-26/naver-to…

Trump SEIZES Russia's "SHADOW FLEET"! China, North Korea, and Iran AGAINST NATO: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/21/trump-seizes-russias-quotshadow-fleetquot.html

South Korea, the EU, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others aim to build "sovereign AI"; Gartner expects $1.5T in AI spending in 2025, up 50% from 2024 (Jiyoung Sohn/Wall Street Journal)
https://www.

‘Sovereign AI’ Takes Off as Countries Seek to Avoid Overreliance on Superpowers
South Korea and others believe their homegrown tech sectors are strong enough to build up their AI capabilities

South Korea enacts the AI Basic Act, which it says includes the world's first comprehensive set of laws regulating AI, as startups warn of compliance burdens (Kyu-Seok Shim/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific<…

Pres.Lee Jae Myung ordered a swift investigation Tuesday into the massive data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang and signaled that his administration may seek punitive damages to prevent similar lapses, calling the incident “astonishing” in scale and negligence.
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/106280

President orders probe into Coupang breach - The Korea Herald
President Lee Jae Myung ordered a swift investigation Tuesday into the massive data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang and signaled that his administration may

Samsung says the Galaxy Z TriFold will go on sale in South Korea on December 12 for ~$2,440, in China this year, and in the US as early as Q1 2026 (Heekyong Yang/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telec…

This would never happen in the US but it should.
Coupang interim CEO questioned for 12 hours over data leak probe
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/02/01/coupang-executive-questioned-allegation-destroy…

Coupang interim CEO questioned for 12 hours over data leak probe - UPI.com
Harold, Interim chief executive of Coupang Korea, was questioned for more than 12 hours by police over allegations that the company destroyed evidence

A look at South Korea's Independent AI Foundation Model competition, which aims to find the best homegrown AI models, in a bid to compete with the US and China (Yoolim Lee/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/20

South Korea’s government is mobilizing an all-hands response to a data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang. The CEO was forced to resign and might face charges.
When has any US company or CEO been held to this level of accountability for a breach?
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/1063937…

Korea launches government-wide probe into Coupang data breach - The Korea Herald
South Korea’s government is mobilizing an all-hands response to a data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang affecting more than 33 million users, establishing an

South Korean authorities are investigating a data leak at e-commerce giant Coupang that exposed ~33.7M accounts; the country has a population of 51.7M (Sohee Kim/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-30/cou…

South Korea dropped Naver's and NCSoft's teams from its competition to develop its first sovereign AI model, as LG's, SK Telecom's, and Upstage's teams advanced (Yoolim Lee/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

North Korean hacking group Lazarus is suspected to be behind a breach of around 45 billion won ($30.6m) in cryptocurrency from South Korea's largest crypto exchange Upbit. The group was suspected of stealing 58 billion won ($40m) worth of Ethereum from Upbit in 2019.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/A…

The US urged UN members to take a tougher stance against North Korea IT worker scams and crypto thefts; an October 2025 report said 40 countries were affected (Jonathan Greig/The Record)
https://therecord.media/40-countries-impacted-nk-it-thefts-united-nations

More than 40 countries impacted by North Korea IT worker scams, crypto thefts
Eleven countries led a session at the UN headquarters in New York centered around a 140-page report released last fall that covered North Korea’s extensive cyber-focused efforts to fund its nuclear and ballistic weapons program.

So much is happening in infosec, so don't fall behind. Check out today's Metacurity for the most critical developments you should know, including
--Cops take down alleged money-laundering operations E-Note,
--Google is suing mass texting operation Darcula,
--AI-generated social media firm Doublespeed was hacked,
--Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's messages were leaked,
--Korea launches massive probe of Coupang breach,
--Foreign pow…

Cops take down alleged money-laundering operations E-Note
Google is suing mass texting operation Darcula, AI-generated social media firm Doublespeed was hacked, Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's messages were leaked online, Korea launches massive probe of Coupang breach, Foreign power tried to install malware on Italian ferry, much more

Coupang says it is offering $1B in compensation to all 33.7M customers affected by South Korea's biggest-ever data breach, after an ex-staffer accessed data (Shinhye Kang/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

So, users in Korea will now be notified if they are involved in “possible” data leaks, not just definitive cases, and potential threats to their personal information under a new set of data protection measures.
This is like pre-crime for data breach notification.
…

Gov't to notify people of possible data leaks, not just confirmed cases
Users will now be notified if they are involved in “possible” data leaks, not just definitive cases, and potential threats to their personal information under a new set of data protection measures.

SK Hynix announces a new US-based "AI Company" from a restructuring of its California-based subsidiary Solidigm, and commits at least $10B to the new entity (Dylan Butts/CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/28/sk-hynix-ai-company-us.html

South Korea's SK Hynix to establish a special ‘AI Company’ in the U.S.
SK Hynix will set up a new U.S.-based company focused on artificial intelligence solutions, with $10 billion committed to the project.

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-11-30/national/socialAffairs/Coupang-data-breach-affecting-virtually-every-user-draws-apology-from-CEO/2466421
Korea continue…

Coupang data breach affecting virtually every user draws apology from CEO
A major vulnerability in the database of popular online shopping platform Coupang allowed an intruder to access the personal information of more than 30 million users without a valid login, with CEO Park Dae-joon offering an apology to the public.

SK Hynix reports Q4 revenue up 66% YoY to $23B, above ~$22.4B est., and operating profit up 137% YoY to $13.3B, both company records, driven by AI HBM demand (Dylan Butts/CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/28/sk-hynix-smashes-…

SK Hynix smashes earnings estimates as AI memory demand drives record profit
South Korea's SK Hynix on Wednesday posted record quarterly revenue and profit, to beat estimates.

Cyber troubles never end for KT in Korea.
An internet installation technician working as a subcontractor for KT has been accused of leaking customer personal information to another mobile phone retailer.
https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2025/1…

Exclusive: KT Subcontractor Leaks Customer Data, Company Avoids Responsibility
Exclusive: KT Subcontractor Leaks Customer Data, Company Avoids Responsibility Leaked information led to contract cancellations; experts say KT must supervise subcontractors despite outsourcing

Chip companies in South Korea, Taiwan, and China have been raising pay and bonuses as global competition intensifies for a limited pool of chip engineers (June Yoon/Financial Times)
https://on.ft.com/3K5zVj1

Over the past month, the US paused talks on a tech pact with the UK, canceled a South Korea trade meeting, and threatened the EU over Big Tech regulations (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/23/trump-administra…

South Korea's Kospi stock index breaks through the record 5,000 level, driven by chip stocks, led by Samsung, up ~3X, and SK Hynix, up ~4x, in the past year (Daniel Tudor/Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/238f5fd4-e8f6-4eb0-9e3d-78066d6ccbe8