Police have launched a preliminary inquiry (pre-indictment investigation) into a personal data leak tied to the government's startup support program "Startup for All."
The Korean National Police Agency National Office of Investigation (NOI) said on the 22nd that the Daejeon Police Agency's cyber investigation unit has begun a pre-indictment investigation. It added that it received a formal request for an investigation the previous day from the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), which oversees Startup for All.
Earlier, an incident occurred in which the personal profiles of 5,000 successful applicants in the first cohort of Startup for All were leaked. Not only email addresses but also summaries of business ideas and evaluation comments were taken. (☞ [Exclusive] "Startup for All" first-cohort 5,000 successful applicants' ideas and evaluation comments leaked)
According to the investigation so far, it was identified as a problem that arose not from an external attack but during the unauthorized collection of even nonpublic information by a company supporting participants in Startup for All.
Han Seong-sook, nominee for prime minister, said the previous day regarding the personal data leak, "As the Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, I feel a grave sense of responsibility and am deeply sorry."
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) decided to provide free support for all 5,000 participants to register "original evidence of trade secrets" for the challenge applications they submitted to protect their ideas. It also plans to help participants who register as business operators going forward prove they are the original creators of their ideas by providing one year of free technology escrow services.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) will offer one-on-one consultations with experts in patents and intellectual property through the Startup One-Stop Support Center, and it also decided to push for a comprehensive security inspection and system improvements through outside professional institutions.