Hackers leave ROK ID system in tatters

Fast Internet, high-tech skills not matched by online security measures

After an avalanche of data breaches, the national identity card system in the Republic of Korea has been raided so thoroughly that the government says it might have to issue new ID numbers to every citizen over 17 at a possible cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The admission is an embarrassment for a society that prides itself on its high-tech skills and has some of the fastest Internet access.