Minister Yoo Sang-im noted that SK Telecom, which leaked subscriber information due to a hacking attack, is a "huge victim" and added that "the decision on whether to waive penalties for SK Telecom will depend on the results of a joint public-private investigation team."
On the same day, Minister Yoo held a public monthly briefing at the government Seoul office to announce the response to the SK Telecom hacking incident, stating, "The issue that caused the leak of subscriber information was not SK Telecom but the hackers. SK Telecom is also a huge victim." He further added that "SK Telecom, which has customers, has a responsibility to defend against hacking attacks and will face penalties, compensation issues, and fines in accordance with regulations."
As SK Telecom suffered a hacking attack that leaked subscriber information, there are demands to waive penalties for customers wishing to change service providers. In this regard, Minister Yoo stated that "after looking into the report of the joint public-private investigation team regarding the SK Telecom breach incident, we will be able to discuss the issue of penalty waivers," and noted that "from SK Telecom's perspective, the issue of penalties is serious, and they are proceeding cautiously."
Minister Yoo predicted that the results of the joint public-private investigation team would be available by the end of June. He explained that "the joint investigation team is carefully examining how the hackers penetrated and what issues arose, as well as how SK Telecom has responded."
There are also claims that SK Telecom should provide compensation to subscribers in addition to waiving penalties. In response, Minister Yoo said, "SK Telecom seems to be considering a certain amount of compensation in terms of mental damages to retain customers," but emphasized that "the decision on compensation is solely an issue for SK Telecom to decide." He added that "there have been no discussions with the Ministry of Science and ICT on this matter."
When asked about the duration of the administrative guidance that barred SK Telecom from recruiting new subscribers, Minister Yoo responded, based on current status of subscriber information supply, that "conditions may allow for lifting the ban at least in a month or two."
Minister Yoo stated that following the announcement of preliminary investigation results indicating that there was no leakage of subscriber identification numbers (IMEI), he plans to share with the public any relevant updates from the ongoing comprehensive investigation of SK Telecom's servers.
Minister Yoo said he is "seriously aware that the hacking incident at SK Telecom has caused significant anxiety" and pledged to devote all efforts to resolving the situation in line with the expectations of the public.