If SK Telecom Accepts Mediation Result,
Compensation for 23 Million Victims Possible
SK Telecom: "We Will Carefully Review the Details Before Making a Decision"
The Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission of the Korea Consumer Agency has decided that SK Telecom, which suffered a personal information leak in April, should provide compensation worth 100,000 won per victim. If the same compensation is given to all victims, the total compensation could reach up to 2.3 trillion won.
Since the SIM hacking incident that occurred last April, SK Telecom's new subscriber sales, which had been completely suspended, fully resumed on the 24th. It has been 51 days since the SIM hacking incident, during which 190,000 and 150,000 subscribers left for KT and LG Uplus respectively in the past month. The photo shows an SK Telecom agency in downtown Seoul. 2025.06.24 Photo by Dongju Yoon
The Commission announced on the 21st that it had made this decision at a collective dispute mediation meeting held on the 18th.
The Commission explained, "Based on the results of the joint public-private investigation in July and the actions taken by the Personal Information Protection Commission in August, it is recognized that SK Telecom's hacking incident resulted in a personal information leak and consumer damages. We have confirmed that SK Telecom is responsible for compensating consumers in order to restore their individual damages."
Specifically, the compensation plan requires SK Telecom to provide each applicant with a 50,000 won discount on their telecommunications bill and 50,000 T Plus Points, which can be used like cash at partner companies.
This decision follows a collective dispute mediation request filed on May 9 by 58 consumers, who claimed their personal information was leaked due to the hacking of SK Telecom's Home Subscriber Server and demanded compensation and measures to prevent recurrence.
If SK Telecom accepts this mediation decision, the Commission plans to proceed with related procedures, including the submission of a compensation plan, to ensure that the same compensation can be provided to victims who did not participate in the mediation process.
If compensation is provided to all victims, the number of those affected by the hacking incident is estimated to be about 23 million, and the total compensation could reach 2.3 trillion won.
The Commission plans to promptly notify SK Telecom of the mediation decision. SK Telecom must inform the Commission within 15 days of receiving the decision whether it will accept the terms of the mediation.
Chairman Han Yongho stated, "We have developed the compensation plan by considering both the need for swift recovery for large-scale consumer damages and the company's efforts to restore trust through voluntary compensation. Given the recent series of personal information leaks, SK Telecom must further strengthen its technical and institutional measures to prevent recurrence."
SK Telecom commented on the mediation plan, stating, "We will carefully review the details and make a prudent decision."
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