SK Telecom files lawsuit to revoke record $135b won fine over data breach - The Korea Herald
SK Telecom is suing to overturn a $91 million fine issued for a 2023 data breach affecting 23 million users.Summary
SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, has filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court to revoke a record 135 billion-won ($91 million) fine levied by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) following a significant data breach in 2023. The breach impacted the data of all 23 million of SK Telecom’s users. The PIPC imposed the fine in August of last year, after SK Telecom disclosed the leak of universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data from its servers.
SK Telecom is expected to argue that it has invested 1.2 trillion won to compensate users and improve its data protection systems, and that no financial harm to users has been confirmed as a result of the breach. The company will also likely contend that the penalty is disproportionate compared to previous fines issued to Google and Meta Platforms, which totaled 100 billion won in 2022.
SK Telecom stated it seeks a “thorough assessment by the court” of the PIPC’s penalty. This case marks the highest penalty imposed by the PIPC since its establishment in 2020.
(Source：The Korea Herald)