South Korea's Unification Ministry said a Gyeongbuk Hana Center employee's PC was infected through a malicious email, exposing files with personal information for 997 North Korean defectors. The leaked data included names, birth dates, and addresses, while contact numbers and resident registration numbers were reportedly not in the affected files. Authorities confirmed the breach after a field investigation on December 19, referred the case to police, and said attribution would depend on the investigation. The incident exposed violations of rules requiring password protection and storage of defector personal data on systems separated from the internet, prompting emergency checks across Hana Centers and victim notifications.