Suspected cyberattack hits Seoul's megachurch

Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul said Wednesday it was hit by a suspected cyberattack that may have exposed personal data belonging to hundreds of thousands of members. The compromised file recorded changes to membership information, including names, birth dates and address changes. The church notified KISA, blocked external system access and changed server passwords while investigating the intrusion and potential damage. Senior Pastor Lee Young-hoon apologized to members.

The file contained 2,629 changes to resident registration numbers, 3,964 changes to phone numbers and 7,202 changes to addresses.

The church said it was notified of the suspected breach by the Korea Internet & Security Agency on Tuesday afternoon.

Yoido Full Gospel Church reportedly has between 800,000 and 1 million members.

The church said it was notifying affected members in accordance with relevant laws and procedures.

Sarang Church, another large congregation in Seoul, was also reportedly targeted by a suspected cyberattack.

Published Oct 7, 2026 12:29 pm KST

Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul / Korea Times file

Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul said Wednesday it was hit by a suspected cyberattack that might have exposed personal data affecting hundreds of thousands of its members.

As the world’s largest congregation, the church reportedly has between 800,000 and 1 million members. It also hosts high-profile visitors, including U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel who recently participated in a service.

The church said it was notified of the breach by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) Tuesday afternoon. The compromised data involved a file containing the history of changes to membership information, including names, dates of birth and records of address changes.

"The file contained 2,629 changes to resident registration numbers, 3,964 changes to phone numbers and 7,202 changes to addresses," the church said in a statement.

The church said it was notifying affected members of the breach in accordance with relevant laws and procedures. It also said it had taken additional security measures, including blocking external access to its systems and changing server passwords.

Senior Pastor Lee Young-hoon apologized for the incident.

“I feel a deep sense of responsibility for causing concern among our members as a result of this incident, and I sincerely apologize,” Lee said. “As soon as we became aware of the circumstances surrounding the incident, the church worked with the relevant authorities and cybersecurity specialists to identify the method of intrusion and the extent of the damage, while taking measures to prevent any further harm.”

The incident happened amid a series of cyberattacks targeting Korean banks and financial institutions, raising concerns about the security of personal data and the potential misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime.

According to reports, Yoido Full Gospel Church is not the only religious institution in Seoul that was recently hit by a suspected cyberattack. Sarang Church, another large congregation in the capital, was also reportedly targeted.

首尔汝矣岛纯福音教会周三表示，该教会疑似遭受网络攻击，数十万名成员的个人数据可能已被泄露。被泄露的文件记录了成员信息的变更，包括姓名、出生日期和地址等。教会已通知韩国信息安全局（KISA），并封锁了外部系统访问，同时更改了服务器密码，并正在调查此次入侵事件及其可能造成的损失。主任牧师李英勋已向成员们致歉。

该文件包含 2,629 条居民登记号码变更记录、3,964 条电话号码变更记录和 7,202 条地址变更记录。

教会方面表示，韩国互联网安全局于周二下午通知他们，疑似发生了网络攻击事件。

据报道，汝矣岛纯福音教会拥有80万至100万名信徒。

教会表示，他们正在按照相关法律和程序通知受影响的成员。

据报道，首尔另一家大型教会“爱之教会”也疑似遭到网络攻击。

发布于2026年10月7日下午12:29（韩国标准时间）

首尔汝矣岛纯福音教会 / 韩国时报档案

首尔汝矣岛纯福音教会周三表示，该教会疑似遭受网络攻击，可能导致数十万成员的个人数据泄露。

据报道，作为世界上最大的教会，该教会拥有80万至100万名成员。它还接待过许多重要访客，包括美国大使米歇尔·斯蒂尔，她最近参加了一次礼拜活动。

教会方面表示，韩国互联网安全局（KISA）于周二下午通知他们发生了数据泄露事件。泄露的数据包含教会成员信息变更记录，包括姓名、出生日期和地址变更记录。

教会在一份声明中表示：“该文件包含 2,629 项居民登记号码变更、3,964 项电话号码变更和 7,202 项地址变更。”

教会表示，已按照相关法律和程序通知受影响的成员有关数据泄露事件的情况。教会还表示，已采取额外的安全措施，包括阻止外部访问其系统以及更改服务器密码。

主任牧师李永勋就此事道歉。

李牧师表示：“对于此次事件给教会成员带来的担忧，我深感责任重大，并真诚地道歉。教会一得知事件经过，就立即与相关部门和网络安全专家合作，查明入侵手段和损失程度，并采取措施防止进一步的损害。”

该事件发生之际，韩国银行和金融机构正遭受一系列网络攻击，引发了人们对个人数据安全以及人工智能在网络犯罪中可能被滥用的担忧。

据报道，汝矣岛纯福音教会并非首尔近期唯一遭受疑似网络攻击的宗教机构。另一家位于首尔的大型教会——爱之教会（Sarang Church）也被指成为攻击目标。