AI-Powered Cyberattacks Target Japanese and South Korean Firms

Japanese and South Korean organizations are strengthening cybersecurity measures following a wave of attacks enabled by artificial intelligence. In South Korea, nine banks and two mega-churches are investigating breaches. In Japan, firms including SoftBank Corp, Daiwa Securities, and the Lawson convenience store chain reported incidents, with Japan recording more attacks in the first nine months of 2026 than in the entire previous year.

CrowdStrike identified a 26-year-old attacker based in China who utilized a Chinese-developed AI agent and Anthropic's Claude Code to target South Korean banks for financial gain. Cybersecurity specialists warn that AI allows low-skill criminals to automate phishing and vulnerability scanning while removing language barriers for foreign hackers.

Government responses have intensified across both nations. South Korea's Financial Services Commission ordered a 12-point cybersecurity self-assessment for the financial industry. In Japan, Digital Transformation Minister Toshiharu Furukawa convened a multi-agency meeting to coordinate warnings to businesses through the National Cybersecurity Office. Nobuo Miwa, president of S&J Corp, described the situation in Japan as carpet bombing and noted that attackers have achieved a breakthrough that renders old assumptions obsolete.