South Korea Slaps SK Telecom with USD97M Data Breach Fine
(MENAFN) South Korean regulators slapped a telecommunications giant with an unprecedented penalty Thursday following a massive data breach, media reported.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) levied a crushing 134.79 billion won ($97 million) fine against SK Telecom over an April cyber intrusion that exposed subscriber personal information, the watchdog announced.
Officials revealed hackers accessed 25 distinct types of customer data, encompassing mobile phone numbers, subscriber identification numbers, and USIM authentication keys, compromising 23,244,649 LTE and 5G users.
The telecommunications provider also violated legal notification requirements by failing to alert impacted customers within the mandatory 72-hour window, triggering an extra 9.6 million won penalty.
Thursday's sanction shattered previous records - PIPC's largest overall penalty reached 69.2 billion won against Google in 2022, while telecom sector violations peaked at 6.8 billion won against LG U+ in 2023.
PIPC Chairman Ko Hak-soo explained the penalty received reduction because SK Telecom didn't secure "direct economic benefits." The regulator emphasized the company "could have prevented the breach with stronger investment, which made the violation more serious."
SK Telecom voiced disappointment that the company's "explanations and remedial efforts were not reflected in the outcome of the investigation and deliberation."
"We will carefully review the written decision once received and determine our position accordingly," the firm stated.
"We take this result very seriously and will continue to prioritize personal data protection in all areas of management while doing our utmost to safeguard customer information," the telecommunications company added.
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