Dispute Applications Surge After Telecom Hacking... Over 200 Cases Each Month Since July

Kim Hyun of the Democratic Party
1,549 Cases Filed by September, Surpassing Last Year’s Total
Over 200 Cases Each Month from July to September After Hacking Incidents

An unrelated scene of a mobile phone store in our city. Yonhap News Agency

The number of dispute filings related to telecommunications companies has surged following a series of hacking incidents involving major carriers.

According to Assemblywoman Kim Hyun of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee on October 9, a total of 1,549 cases were filed with the Telecommunications Dispute Mediation Committee under the Korea Communications Commission between January and September of this year. This figure has already surpassed last year’s annual total of 1,533 cases. By year, the numbers have steadily increased: 1,170 cases in 2021, 1,060 in 2022, 1,259 in 2023, and 1,533 last year.

Looking at the monthly data for this year, there were 116 cases in January, 135 in February, and 130 in March. After the SK Telecom hacking incident in April, the numbers jumped to 163 in April, 175 in May, and 193 in June. In July, when the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) detected signs of a hacking incident at KT, the monthly total reached a record high of 216 cases. The numbers remained above 200 in both August (211 cases) and September (210 cases). By carrier, SK Telecom accounted for the most cases at 439, followed by LG Uplus with 337, KT with 325, and SK Broadband with 87.

Assemblywoman Kim Hyun pointed out, "The surge in dispute mediation filings amid growing user anxiety over successive telecom hacking incidents is the result of telecommunications companies evading responsibility and the government’s complacent response."