This file image shows Heungdeok Police Station in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Korea Times file

A police officer accidentally released the personal information of seven women with the same name after being tricked by a man impersonating a detective.

According to Heungdeok Police Station in Cheongju, Thursday, sensitive information such as addresses and resident registration numbers of the women, all in their 30s, were released to a man who claimed to be an investigator "chasing wanted suspects" on April 27.

By the time the police officer realized that something was wrong, the scammer had received the information.

It is still unclear why the impersonator wanted the personal information. Police said they are searching for the man involved in this incident.

In a statement released four days later, the police station issued an apology to the victims and the public, expressing its commitment to making utmost efforts to locate the individual responsible.

"We sincerely apologize for causing concerns," it said. "We will reform the internal system in regard to personal information management and prevent similar incidents from happening by educating officials doing related work."

The police stated they informed the affected women of the incident and pledged to protect them. They mentioned difficulty in reaching one of the women because she is currently residing abroad.