[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Ko Hak-soo, Chairperson of South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), said on June 24 that a preliminary outline of the investigation into the SK Telecom hacking incident is taking shape, adding, “We expect to reach a decision on administrative action within the next few months.”



Speaking to reporters at the 3rd 2025 Personal Information Future Forum held at the Korea Post Tower in central Seoul, Ko confirmed that the investigation, which began in April, is progressing steadily. The probe was launched after SK Telecom reported a suspected leak of customer USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) data stored in its internal systems on April 19.



Ko has previously called the incident “unprecedented,” stressing that there is “no doubt that a data breach occurred as of the day the company filed the report.”



Regarding the timeline for penalties, Ko said, “We may be able to speak more concretely about the timing next month, but we are not yet at a stage to make any formal announcement. Our working-level officials are still reviewing and compiling relevant materials.”



He clarified that the PIPC’s investigation is being conducted independently from the joint government-private task force also looking into the SK Telecom incident. “As with the LG Uplus case, there may be a few months’ difference between the release of the joint task force findings and our final administrative action,” he noted. In July 2023, the PIPC fined LG Uplus KRW 6.8 billion (approx. USD 5.2 million) for a data breach involving 300,000 customers.



Ko emphasized that the PIPC is focusing on whether SK Telecom complied with its legal obligation to implement adequate security measures. “We are closely examining which safeguards should have been in place and what the company failed to implement properly,” he said.

 

 

 

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