Cyber Incident Victim: Onnuri Church
Date:
Jun 2025
Location:
South Korea
Summary
During a worship service at the Seobinggo campus of Onnuri Church, the YouTube livestream was interrupted by an image of the North Korean flag accompanied by unidentified music while the pastor’s audio was cut off. Viewers captured the clip and shared it online, prompting the church to issue an apology and state that it suspects a hacking incident. The church launched an urgent investigation, reported the matter to authorities, and said no external threats or demands have been identified.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On June 18, 2025, during the early morning worship service at Onnuri Church's Seobinggo campus in Yongsan, central Seoul, a live YouTube broadcast of the service was interrupted. Roughly twenty seconds into the broadcast, while Pastor Park Jong-gil was delivering his sermon, the video feed switched to an image of the North Korean flag accompanied by unidentified music, and the pastor’s audio was cut off. Viewers who were watching the livestream recorded the clip and subsequently shared it on YouTube and various online communities, where it began to circulate shortly after the incident. The church described the interruption as an unexpected video that appeared during the YouTube broadcast of the Seobinggo early morning worship service on June 18. Onnuri Church characterized the incident as a hacking incident in its initial public statement.
In a formal apology posted on its website, the church stated it believed the incident resulted from a hacking incident and said it was investigating the source of the breach. The church indicated it would take all necessary steps once the cause was identified. A church official told Yonhap News Agency that the incident had been reported to the relevant authorities through the church’s internal department. The official also noted that, as far as the church knew, there had been no threats or demands from external actors following the event. The church’s statement concluded with a commitment to address the breach after its investigation is complete.