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Jeonbuk National University, Ewha Womans University slapped with surcharges for data leaks

Published: 12 Jun. 2025, 18:18

Ewha Womans University campus [EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY]

The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced on Thursday that it had decided to slap penalty surcharges of 623 million won ($459,000) on Jeonbuk National University and 343 million won on Ewha Womans University.

The PIPC's decision came as the two universities failed to protect personal information registered on their websites last year.

On July 28, 2024, the personal information of over 320,000 students and graduates of Jeonbuk National University was leaked. The university said that the names, phone numbers, email addresses and other details of students and graduates had been exposed in the breach.

According to PIPC’s investigation results, the university’s information security system has been susceptible to breaches and hacking attempts since its initial development in 2010, and preventative measures had not been taken appropriately, constituting a violation of the Obligation of Security Measures under the Personal Information Protection Act.

During the investigation, an additional breach case was identified as the university retained resident registration numbers (RRNs) of 233 individuals even after the nation introduced the statutory principle for collecting RRNs in 2014, which prohibits private organizations from keeping such information unless on a legal basis.

In a similar case, the personal information of over 83,000 students and graduates of Ewha Womans University, also including RRNs, was leaked on Sept. 3, 2024.

According to the PIPC, Ewha Womans University’s current information system has had defects since its development in 2015, and necessary preventative measures have not been appropriately taken as well.

On top of imposing monetary penalties, the PIPC ordered the two universities to make their violations public by making official announcements on their websites, inspect their information security systems and establish round-the-clock monitoring systems. The commission also advised them to give additional penalties to the personnel in charge.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [[email protected]]