SEOUL — Ewha Womans University disclosed on Friday that personal information pertaining to approximately 80,000 of its graduates was compromised following a cyberattack on its academic affairs website. This breach primarily affected individuals who attended the university between 1982 and 2002.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the university confirmed the breach via a notice on its website, revealing that hackers accessed a range of personal data including names, resident registration numbers, contact details, email addresses, home addresses, and educational records. Importantly, the data related to current undergraduates remained secure, and sensitive academic details such as grades were not exposed.

The unauthorized access was detected earlier this week, traced back to a foreign IP address. Following the discovery, the university swiftly notified both the Ministry of Education and the Personal Information Protection Commission as required by regulatory protocols.

A university official expressed regret over the incident, stating, "Of the school's 250,000 graduates in total, the records of some 80,000 students from 20 to 40 years ago were leaked." It was also noted that there has been no evidence to suggest that the compromised data was either distributed further or saved externally.

In response to the breach, Ewha Womans University has issued a formal apology and is actively working to reinforce its cybersecurity measures. The institution is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the breach's origin and is collaborating with relevant authorities to enhance data protection strategies and prevent future incidents.