More than 112,000 Google accounts used by schools and students across South Korea have been compromised, prompting the Education Ministry to order an urgent nationwide password reset and strengthen security measures.
According to figures released by the Education Ministry on October 22, a total of 112,890 Google Workspace accounts operated by 477 educational institutions had been affected as of 6 p.m. on October 21. The compromised accounts represent about 2.3 percent of the 4,987,312 Google accounts operated by the country’s 16 metropolitan and provincial education offices and schools.
Daejeon recorded the largest number of compromised accounts at 74,246, followed by Seoul with 35,500, South Gyeongsang with 1,757, the integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju education region with 941 and Gyeonggi with 446. No account compromises had been confirmed in the other education offices, according to the ministry.
The affected accounts were created mainly through Google Workspace for Education after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, when schools expanded remote and online learning. The latest incident has raised concerns over the security of education platforms that continue to be used by millions of students and staff.
The ministry said 3,597,546 accounts, or 72.1 percent of the total, had undergone password changes by the reporting deadline. Another 1,389,766 accounts had yet to complete the password-reset process. The ministry has instructed education offices to complete the remaining changes as quickly as possible.
The initial investigation found that account IDs and passwords had been compromised. Authorities have not confirmed that students’ personal information was externally leaked, but officials have warned that some school accounts may contain identifying information such as students’ names, school names, grades and classes.
An earlier education ministry investigation covering incidents identified by October 18 found 111,052 compromised accounts in five education regions. Lawmakers subsequently called for a detailed investigation into the cause of the breaches and the extent of any potential personal-data exposure.
Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin had already warned during a parliamentary audit on October 7 that a sudden increase in hacking incidents involving education accounts was being taken seriously. The ministry is now monitoring education offices for additional attacks and has also urged staff to check their personal computers for possible malware infections.
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The ministry also plans to remove long-unused accounts belonging to students who have graduated, while continuing to monitor for further unauthorized access. The incident has intensified concerns over cybersecurity as South Korea increasingly relies on digital platforms and AI-based services for education.
