ChatGPT exposes 2,672 hidden Korea drug trial files, spurring data leak furor - CHOSUNBIZ

While the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety did not submit Genencell-related clinical trial review materials to the National Assembly, citing corporations secrets and other reasons, it turned out that 2,672 nonpublic clinical trial documents managed by the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety could be downloaded through ChatGPT.

The downloaded documents included nonpublic corporations information and even the responsible officials' mobile phone numbers, putting the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety's data protection system on the chopping block.

On Oct. 13, at the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety audit by the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, Rep. Lee So-hee of the People Power Party said, "When our office checked, there were no documents disclosed on the Drug Safety Korea results screen, but we downloaded 2,672 clinical trial result documents," and added, "It wasn't hacking; it was possible with ChatGPT, which anyone can use, and neither a login nor a password was required."

According to Lee, 839 of the downloaded documents contained corporations information designated as nonpublic, and 2,208 contained the responsible officials' mobile phone numbers. Lee noted, "This raises serious questions about the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety's data protection system for managing corporations' core information."

In particular, Lee questioned the consistency of the disclosure standards, noting that the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety did not submit Genencell-related clinical trial review materials to the National Assembly, citing corporations secrets and other reasons.

Lee said, "They locked the door to the National Assembly, calling it corporations secrets, yet they left it unattended for outsiders to grab the files," and added, "If the information could be disclosed, why didn't they show it to the public, and if it could not be disclosed, why didn't they block access?"

Lee argued that under Article 88 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, related materials can be disclosed if deemed necessary for the public interest, but the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety has not applied that provision since 2016. Of 96 related items, 95 were withheld from disclosure, Lee said.

Asked whether there were any documents reviewing disclosure of the Genencell materials in the public interest, Minister Oh Yu-Kyoung of the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety answered, "There is no such material."

Minister Oh apologized regarding the data leak, saying, "We became aware of the leak yesterday." She added, "Early this morning, we blocked access permissions to the materials in question, and we are reviewing the matter comprehensively."

Lee claimed that the lawmaker's office notified the agency of the issue through a data request on the 11th, but received no reply or contact from the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety by the day of the audit. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety plans to verify how external access was possible and whether additional information was exposed.