Seoul: SK Telecom Co. on Thursday expressed regret over the data protection regulator's decision to impose a 134.8 billion-won (US$97 million) fine in connection with a data leak incident that potentially affected its entire user base of over 23 million. "We regret that our measures and position were not sufficiently reflected in the outcome despite our thorough explanation during the investigation and decision-making process," the company said in a statement.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) decided to impose the fine during a general meeting on Wednesday, marking the largest penalty to date in any single incident. The previous record was a 69.2 billion-won fine imposed on Google. SK Telecom said it will carefully review documents on the regulator's decision once delivered before determining its course of action, including potential legal steps.
At the same time, the company said it feels a strong sense of responsibility for the incident and pledged to strengthen its customer information protection measures. According to PIPC, 25 kinds of private information, including mobile phone numbers and universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data, of SK Telecom's entire 23.24 million subscribers were leaked in a cyberattack on the company's network servers in April.
The watchdog said more than 26 million users were affected in total but excluded corporations and multiple-account holders from its count. Following the incident, SK Telecom replaced the USIM chips for all 25 million users free-of-charge and suspended new subscription services for two months.
In June, it unveiled a comprehensive compensation package and cybersecurity investment plan worth more than 1 trillion won in total.