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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Seoul, South Korea — The Korean government announced that it will review possible sanctions against KT, including contract penalty waivers and business suspension, as the company remains under investigation by a joint public–private task force following a recent large-scale hacking incident.
During a National Assembly inquiry on December 2 regarding the Coupang hacking case, Baek Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, responded “Yes, we will proceed” when Rep. Hwang Jung-ah of the Democratic Party asked whether the government would move forward with measures such as penalty waivers or suspension once the task force’s findings are released.
Baek added that the joint investigation team’s results will be announced “soon.”
A Ministry of Science and ICT official later clarified that the government must first determine whether KT qualifies for penalty waivers under current law, noting that the review is still in the preliminary stage.
Rep. Hwang criticized the repeated occurrence of large-scale hacking incidents, stating, “With major cyberattacks happening again and again, the public can’t help but question what the government is doing.” She added that taking strict measures—including penalty waivers or suspension for KT—would enhance public trust in the government’s stance toward enforcing accountability in the Coupang case as well.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
