A so-called "revenge-for-hire" ring that was paid to smear filth on homes or scrawl profanities may have obtained personal information through channels beyond Baedal Minjok (Baemin), South Korea's largest food delivery platform, police said. Investigators are expanding their probe to determine whether additional data leaks occurred.
The Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul found indications that some of the addresses secured by the ring did not originate from Baemin's membership database, police said Sunday.
Based on the finding, police are also looking into the possibility that personal data was leaked from other organizations.
Investigators reportedly identified personal information of unclear origin while analyzing materials seized during earlier raids on Baemin and members of the ring. Police are now intensively examining whether a separate leak channel existed.
However, police said they are not yet at the stage of targeting a specific company in their investigation. "We are not ruling out the possibility that information was leaked from multiple organizations," a police official said. "But we are still at the stage of verifying those possibilities."
Police are also reviewing the option of conducting compulsory investigations, including search and seizure operations, against relevant organizations if necessary.