A major data breach at Fruit of Love, a program under the Community Chest of Korea, has exposed the real names and resident registration numbers of around 600 high-value donors who contributed 20 million won or more.
Details of the Incident
The breach occurred when the unredacted ‘2024 Annual Settlement Report’—listing top donors’ personal details—was mistakenly posted on the organization’s homepage. Unlike standard practice, the document lacked anonymization, making sensitive information publicly accessible.
Fruit of Love routinely publishes annual donor reports to share contribution histories transparently, but this error allowed full exposure of private data.
Diverse Donors Impacted
The leaked list includes a wide range of individuals, such as full-time homemakers, politicians, business executives, and entertainers, highlighting the broad participation in the program.
Official Response and Next Steps
Fruit of Love quickly identified the issue and launched a nationwide response. A spokesperson stated, “We have assembled a rapid response team and are addressing the matter urgently.”
The official added, “In compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act, we plan to notify affected individuals individually tomorrow and report the incident to the relevant authorities.”
Under the Act’s enforcement decree, organizations must report data breaches to oversight agencies within 72 hours of detection. Fruit of Love confirmed it is preparing the required documentation amid a surge in public inquiries.
