Assemblywoman Hwang Jeonga Raises Suspicion of KT Downplaying Micro-Payment Incident... Concerns Over Hidden Damages Growing

Over 90,000 Micro-Payment Inquiries Filed with KT
Six Times the Total Number of Micro-Payment Complaints Last Year
KT: "278 Victims Identified... Higher Than Usual, But Numbers Are Declining"

Yonhap News Agency

Concerns are growing over the possibility of additional victims as the number of customer inquiries related to unauthorized micro-payments received by KT has reached approximately 90,000 cases.

According to data submitted by the office of Hwang Jeonga, a member of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, KT received 92,034 customer inquiries related to micro-payment keywords as of 6 p.m. on September 11.

This figure is about six times higher than the total number of complaints (15,044 cases) reported in the entire mobile micro-payment market last year.

According to KT's own investigation results announced on September 11, the number of identified victims stands at 278, and the total amount of damages, including canceled payments, is approximately 170 million won.

KT explained that it identified cases where gift card payments were made through ARS authentication using illegal ultra-small base stations (femtocells).

However, given the surge in customer inquiries, there are concerns that additional victims may emerge.

Hwang's office previously requested data on the number of micro-payment users and transaction amounts over a ten-day period starting August 27, but KT reportedly responded on September 10 that it manages such data on a monthly basis and could not immediately extract the exact figures.

Assemblywoman Hwang stated, "Despite the fact that all log records and charges remain in the system, KT's questionable stance that it cannot determine the overall status of micro-payment transactions raises suspicions that the company may be trying to downplay the scale of the hacking damage. The Ministry of Science and ICT must directly investigate the micro-payment records to clearly reveal the actual scale of damages and impose strong sanctions against any attempts to cover up or minimize the incident."

KT explained, "Customer inquiries regarding micro-payment issues have increased compared to usual, but today the number has decreased compared to the previous day. We are making every effort to provide prompt support for affected customers, prevent further damages, and protect our customers."

The company added, "We have extended our customer center operating hours until 8 p.m. and have established a dedicated 24-hour customer center so that customers can make inquiries at any time."