Civil Lawsuit to Be Filed in Court on the Morning of the 27th
"Organized Response Centered on the Special Division"
Law firm Daeryun, which is currently pursuing both civil and criminal proceedings related to the SK Telecom hacking incident, is taking a full-scale response by appointing attorney Cho Younggon (pictured), former chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, as its representative.
Previously, on May 1, Daeryun filed criminal charges against SKT CEO Yoo Youngsang and the company's chief security officer, accusing them of business-related breach of trust and obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means. On May 27 at 10 a.m., the firm plans to file a civil lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court, seeking 1 million won in damages per individual as compensation.
Daeryun views the neutralization of the security system of the nation's largest telecommunications company as a serious social issue that goes beyond mere corporate security management responsibility. For this reason, the firm has appointed attorney Cho, who has extensive experience in such matters, as the overall director of the case.
During his tenure as chief prosecutor, Cho led major cases such as the recovery of illicit funds from former presidents and the investigation into the Four Major Rivers Project. In particular, he has experience spearheading investigations into large corporate tax evasion and misconduct.
Additionally, Daeryun plans to mount an organized response to this incident, centering on its internal strategic body, the Special Task Headquarters (Special Division). The Special Division is designed to handle large-scale cases?such as public issues and social disputes?that are difficult for individual groups to address, with the aim of enhancing both expertise and efficiency in case management. Since Cho serves as the head of the Special Division, more organic collaboration is expected with members of the corporate legal group who have already been analyzing the case.
According to Daeryun, in the United States, customers of telecommunications companies that experienced large-scale personal data breaches have received substantial compensation through class action lawsuits. For example, in 2021, T-Mobile, one of the three major U.S. telecom companies, suffered a breach that exposed the personal data of 76.6 million customers. As a result, customers filed lawsuits, and T-Mobile agreed to pay a total of $350 million (approximately 459 billion won), with individual compensation reaching up to $25,000 (about 3.2 million won) per person.
Daeryun believes that the scale of the SKT personal data breach is even greater than those past incidents. The firm argues that SKT failed to fulfill its information protection obligations as a key telecommunications operator, causing tangible inconvenience to the public. Given that such inconvenience and anxiety are expected to persist for a considerable period, Daeryun maintains that SKT should be held to a stricter standard of accountability compared to previous cases.
Attorney Cho Younggon stated, "Personal data breaches have been recurring for years, but in Korea, actual punishment or compensation has been minimal, with the damage ultimately falling on the public. We will do our utmost to address the chronic structural issues in the legal system and protect the rights and interests of the people so that such incidents are not repeated."
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