Hyundai Group’s Seoul headquarters moved into incident-response mode after police received a threatening email demanding 13 BTC, warning explosions at its Yeonji-dong and Hyundai Motor Group tower in Yangjae-dong. The message warned that the blasts would occur at 11:30 a.m. if the ransom was not paid, prompting police to deploy special forces and search both sites. No devices were found, and operations gradually normalized as investigators assessed the bomb-ransom threat. The 13 BTC was valued around $1.1 million, or KRW 16.4 billion, internally.
An anonymous sender demanded 13 BTC ($1.3M) to stop the attacks. Samsung Electronics was cited in a Kakao customer service bulletin board post that claimed it would blow up the firm’s headquarters in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, and shoot executive chairman Lee Jae-yong with a homemade gun. Another post appeared in KT’s online sign-up form, stating a homemade bomb was installed at its Bundang building in Jeongja-dong, Seongnam, prompting checks on critical infrastructure. Kakao’s Jeju and Pangyo sites and Naver also faced threats.
South Korea agencies plan stricter controls, including stronger AML rules by mid-2026. Pressure rose after a $30 million hack at Upbit that authorities attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus group and compared to a 2019 attack. The breach emerged during a press event for Naver Corp.’s $10.3 billion acquisition of Upbit parent Dunamu Inc. Upbit suspended deposits and withdrawals and pledged to cover losses using its assets.
Officials said more than $3.4 billion was stolen from January through early December; North Korea took $2.02 billion, a 51% year-on-year rise. That amount was about $681 million above 2024’s $1.3 billion.
Leave a Reply