The Personal Information Protection Commission launched an investigation to verify the facts after allegations surfaced of a personal data leak involving Shinhan Card. With indications confirmed that merchant information was provided externally, the commission said it will closely examine whether the Personal Information Protection Act was violated and the scale of any leak, and will take stern action if illegality is uncovered.
The Personal Information Protection Commission said on the 24th that, in the process of checking the contents after receiving a public-interest report, it confirmed indications that personal data held by Shinhan Card had been provided externally. The scope of the probe includes the circumstances and extent of the personal data leak and the types of information that were provided.
According to the report, Shinhan Card branches provided merchant information on newly installed card terminals to card solicitors and others from March 2022 to May 2025. In the process, information that included the merchant name, the merchant owner's name, and mobile phone numbers was transmitted, and the information was reportedly used for sales activities to issue cards.
Through this investigation, the Personal Information Protection Commission will comprehensively review whether the Personal Information Protection Act was violated and, if violations are confirmed, will take action under the relevant laws. If deemed necessary during the investigation, the commission plans to cooperate with financial authorities in its response.
Earlier, Shinhan Card reported to the Personal Information Protection Commission on the 23rd that about 190,000 items of personal data, including mobile phone numbers of merchant representatives, were presumed to have been leaked. The leaked information was identified as 181,585 mobile phone numbers; 8,120 instances of mobile phone numbers and names; 2,310 instances of mobile phone numbers, names, year of birth, and sex; and 73 instances of mobile phone numbers, names, and dates of birth, totaling 192,088.