[2022 National Assembly Audit] SK Chairman Chey Tae-won "Deeply Responsible, Apologize to the People, Users, and Customers"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Regarding the service disruptions at Kakao and others caused by the fire accident at SK C&C Pangyo Data Center, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won stated, "I would like to express my apologies to the people of the nation. I also sincerely apologize to the users and client companies who suffered damages."

Chairman Chey appeared as a witness at the National Assembly Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee’s audit around 8:30 PM on the 24th, saying, "I feel a great sense of responsibility regarding this incident," and added, "The entire group is making every effort to handle the situation as best as possible." He continued, "Although I submitted a letter of absence because postponing the scheduled forum in Japan could cause other issues, I was able to finish the forum quickly and attend. I apologize for causing concern."

Regarding prevention measures and compensation for damages, he explained, "Not only SK C&C but also other related companies are conducting investigations and devising new prevention measures," and added, "We will do our utmost to support compensation by consulting with client companies."

Earlier, Chairman Chey was selected as a witness for the Science and Technology Committee audit but submitted a letter of absence and did not appear at the hearing. The reason for his absence was concerns about negative perceptions arising from overlapping schedules with a forum hosted by SK Group in Japan and his role as chairman of the private sector committee for the Busan Expo bid. In response, Committee Chairperson Jung Cheong-rae said, "After review by ruling and opposition party members, the reason for absence does not seem valid," and added, "In case Chairman Chey does not attend the audit, the two party secretaries should consult on measures such as filing complaints and issuing summons."