South Korea’s Nationwide Startup Program Hacked, Exposing Data of 5,000 Entrants

The South Korean government-led “Nationwide Startup” program solicits business ideas from across the country and selects candidates for support. Submissions include personally identifiable information and summaries of ideas that have not yet been made public, meaning the breach poses not only privacy risks but also the potential for idea theft and intellectual property damage.

The latest investigation found that personal data and idea summaries belonging to about 5,000 entrants who advanced past the first round were stolen. The hackers targeted the program’s AI solution provider, bypassed existing review mechanisms and made abnormal API calls to obtain the data. As of July 20, 2026, South Korean authorities were working across multiple government departments to trace the intrusion, determine the scope of the breach and establish responsibility.