Dae-ryun “SKT’s business malpractice amounted to at least KRW 54.5 billion… going against the grain of the times”

Additional supplementary reasons submitted following complaint and accusation on the 1st
“Information protection investment per subscriber is 3,531 won… lower than the average of other telecommunication companies.”
The accuser is scheduled to be investigated at Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul at 3 p.m. on the 21st.

Regarding the leak of SIM card information from SK Telecom (SKT), Daeryun Law Firm filed a complaint and complaint against those responsible early this month, and submitted a supplementary statement of reasons, urging a speedy investigation by the police.

Daeryun Law Firm announced on the 20th that it recently submitted a complaint and a supplementary reason for complaint to Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul, which is in charge of the investigation related to the SKT incident.

Previously, on the 1st, Daeryun sued SK Telecom's CEO Yoo Young-sang and the security manager on charges of breach of trust and obstruction of official duties. This is because, although they were aware of the importance of storing and utilizing SIM-related information, they neglected management, and even after first recognizing abnormal signs in the in-house system, they belatedly ‘reduced and falsely reported’ it to the Korea Internet & Security Agency.

In this additional supplementary statement, Daeryun pointed out that although SKT had the largest number of subscribers, it had spent a smaller amount of information security investment than KT since 2019.

In particular, it was pointed out that while KT increased its information security investment by about 19.6 billion won in 2024 compared to 2022, and LG U+ also invested an additional budget of about 33.9 billion won, SK Broadband Co., Ltd. increased its budget by only about 3.3 billion won, showing an appearance of going against the trend of the times.

In addition, as of December last year, SKT's information protection investment per subscriber was 3,531 won, which was less than the average of 5,751 won for the other two telecommunication companies (KT and LG U+).

At the same time, Daeryun emphasized that SKT Corporation was guilty of breach of trust by failing to comply with its obligation to manage and utilize customers' SIM information and earning profits worth a total of at least KRW 54.5 billion (= KRW 2,200 x approximately 24 million subscribers).

In addition, it was also pointed out that the defendants and accusers did not install security programs such as vaccines to block malicious code, and unlike other mobile communication network operators, SIM card-related information was not encrypted and stored in plain text.

Attorney Dae-ryun Son Gye-jun said, "Korea Internet & Security Agency was able to confirm that official duties are scheduled to include on-site investigations and requests for data preservation and document submission to confirm the accident. In the case of the Korea Internet & Security Agency, the case is transferred to the internal cyber one-stop center according to the report, and a police officer dispatched from the National Police Agency is in charge. As it is acknowledged that these duties were hindered by a late false report, hierarchical obstruction of official duties is clearly proven." said.

Seoul Namdaemun Police Station plans to conduct an investigation into the accuser at 3 p.m. on the 21st, and attorneys Daeryun Son Gye-jun and Cheon Jeong-min are scheduled to participate.

Daeryun CEO Kim Gook-il said, “Daeryun is currently preparing a class action lawsuit by gathering victims related to the SKT incident, and thousands of inquiries have already been received.” He added, “We will do our best until the end to ensure that victims receive practical relief through civil and criminal responses and that those responsible for this incident receive appropriate punishment.”

Reporter Park Jae-gwan (paksunbi@fnnews.com)

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Financial News - Daeryun “SKT, breach of duty worth at least KRW 54.5 billion… goes against the grain of the times” (Go)
Aju Economy - [Law Firm Lounge] Dae-Ryun "SKT's business malpractice amount is at least KRW 54.5 billion... going against the grain of the times" ​​​​​​ (Shortcut)
Digital Times - Police begin investigation into accusation of management and security manager in `SKT hacking incident' (link)
Korea Economy - SKT subscribers, only '3,000 won' per person... Investment in information security ‘poor’ (link)