Hackers leak names, birthdays, and addresses of nearly 1,000 North Korean defectors

The personal information of nearly 1,000 North Korean defectors who fled across the border to South Korea has been leaked by hackers.

The South Korean Unification Ministry said it discovered last week the names, birth dates and addresses of 997 defectors had been stolen from a resettlement agency’s database through a computer infected with malicious software.

The agency in the southern city of Gumi, called the Hana centre, is among 25 institutes the ministry runs around the country to help some 32,000 defectors adjust to life in the richer, democratic South by providing jobs, medical and legal support.