Bank of Korea

The Bank of Korea, also known as the Central Bank of South Korea, is the central banking institution of South Korea. It is responsible for monetary policy, currency issuance, and financial system stability. The bank manages the nation's foreign reserves and regulates financial institutions to ensure economic resilience. As the issuer of the South Korean won, it controls currency circulation and payment infrastructure. Its operations are guided by the government's economic objectives. Through these core responsibilities, the bank supports South Korea's economic health and engages globally with other central banks.

On May 13, 2016, the Bank of Korea experienced a significant distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack attributed to the hacktivist collectives Anonymous and Ghost Squad. This assault was part of Operation OpIcarus, a coordinated campaign targeting global financial institutions. The attack generated traffic volumes peaking at 250 Gbps, which temporarily rendered the bank's official website inaccessible. The hacktivists' motivations included solidarity with social protests and retaliation against the arrest of fellow activists, aiming to disrupt financial systems to advance anti-establishment ideals. This incident occurred amid a broader wave of cyberattacks that affected multiple central banks worldwide, though all impacted services were eventually restored. The event underscored the vulnerability of critical financial infrastructure to ideologically driven cyber threats and highlighted the bank's role as a high-value target in the global financial network. It also demonstrated the potential for hacktivist operations to cause temporary operational disruptions despite robust security measures.