Seoul, Jun 18 (IANS): South Korea's science ministry said on Friday it is investigating a potential hack into a state-run nuclear research institute after its internal network was breached last month.

A Ministry of Science and ICT official said the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute's network was breached multiple times between May 14-31.

The ministry said the institute has since taken security measures, such as halting its virtual private network and blocking the attacker's internet protocol address, reports Yonhap news agency.

Lawmaker Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party said in a Facebook post earlier in the day that the institute was the target of a cyberattack on May 14 by a hacker group suspected to be associated with a North Korean intelligence agency.

The science ministry said in a statement that it was currently examining the extent of the hacking incident and the source of the attack.