South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups has confirmed that personal information of about 5,000 winners of its 'Everyone's Startup' project was leaked.

The ministry said on Wednesday it detected an attempt at unauthorised access on June 15 targeting information on winners of the project. A probe found that some personal information was leaked externally, it said.

The leaked data is known to include email addresses and connected information (CI), project idea summaries and review comments. CI is personal identification information issued during identity verification. The probe found that other personal information such as names and mobile phone numbers, as well as detailed project ideas, were not leaked.

The ministry blocked the unauthorised access route immediately after becoming aware of the incident and carried out an emergency security inspection across the system. It is now investigating whether there were additional leaks. After completing individual notifications to those affected at noon on Wednesday, it reported the leak to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).

The ministry said it would swiftly take all necessary steps to protect victims and prevent further damage. It also said it would further strengthen its personal data protection and security management system.