Chief regulator says efforts underway to ease network separation rules in response to AI security threats

SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- The chief of the country's financial regulator said Wednesday that his agency is accelerating moves to ease rules on so-called network separation in order to help financial companies better respond to rising security threats in the artificial intelligence (AI) age.

Earlier, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said it will review plans to allow AI use for security purposes by easing network separation rules for financial firms.

Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Lee Eog-weon speaks during a meeting on support measures for the Middle East crisis-hit sectors in Seoul in this April 17, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)

Financial firms here are required to separate their internal network systems from external ones to stem cyber threats, such as hacking.

But high-end AI models such as Mythos have emerged as new types of major security threats, raising the need for financial companies to use AI technologies for security purposes.

"We are moving to ease rules on network separation to check the vulnerability posed by the use of security-purpose AI in relation to AI-related security threats," FSC chairman Lee Eog-weon said in a meeting with heads of major financial holding companies, such as KB Financial Group.

"In particular, we will aim to fully ease network separation rules for financial companies with high-level AI security capability this year," Lee said.