South Korea's cybersecurity watchdog is facing a workforce shortage amid the soaring number of cyber threats reported by local businesses, a lawmaker said Sunday.

Citing data submitted by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), Rep. Kim Jang-kyom of the main opposition People Power Party said the watchdog received 1,887 reports of security breaches from South Korean companies in 2024, up 47 percent from a year earlier.

During the January-August period of 2025, the number of breach reports stood at 1,501, the data showed, according to Yonhap.

Despite the surge in cyberattacks reported by businesses, the number of response personnel came to just 132, up only nine from 2022.

Over the same period, South Korea's budget for hacking and virus response systems rose 22% to 73.6 billion won (US$52.4 million), according to the lawmaker.

"The fact that the number of investigators at KISA increased by a single digit over the years indicates the country lacks readiness against such threats," Kim said.