Vice Chairman Lee Jeongryeol of the Personal Information Protection Commission: "SKT Mediation Will Follow the Law... Data Transfer Standards Based on Fact Sheet to Be Outlined by Year-End"

Signs of SK Telecom's Rejection of 300,000 Won Compensation Plan... Commission Says "Will Follow Legal Procedures Upon Response"
"Many Aspects to Examine in KT Hacking Case... Close Coordination with Ministry of Science and ICT"
"Cross-Border Data Transfer Regulations to Be Enhanced to International Standards"

Lee Jeongryeol, Vice Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Jeongryeol, Vice Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated regarding SK Telecom's move to reject the dispute mediation proposal for "300,000 won compensation per person" related to the hacking incident, "We will handle the matter in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law." On November 20, during a meeting with reporters, Vice Chairman Lee said, "We have not yet received an official response from SK Telecom. Although I am aware, through media reports, that the possibility of rejecting the mediation proposal has been mentioned, once we receive their response, we will notify and process it according to the dispute mediation procedures stipulated by law." On November 3, the Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee held a general meeting and decided that SK Telecom should pay compensation of 300,000 won per person to approximately 4,000 applicants affected by the large-scale personal information leak.

He explained, "There are applicants who requested mediation and the counterpart (the company in question). The company can reject the mediation proposal within 15 days according to the law. If no response is received within the deadline, it is considered accepted under the 'deemed acceptance' system. As we are still within that period, if a response comes in, we will notify accordingly."

Regarding concerns that, if an additional compensation proposal is made even after voluntary compensation, companies may prioritize preparing for disputes over voluntary compensation in the future, he said, "It is not appropriate to state a position before receiving SK Telecom's response." However, he added, "I am aware, through media reports, that there are concerns about this mediation proposal, but conversely, there are also perspectives in favor." Vice Chairman Lee said, "Just as companies have the right to assert their interests, the Commission will follow the decisions of the Dispute Mediation Committee in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Personal Information Protection Act."

Regarding the investigation into the KT hacking incident, he said, "The investigation is ongoing," and added, "After the announcement by the joint public-private investigation team, we found additional areas requiring investigation and are closely coordinating with the Ministry of Science and ICT. For the SK Telecom case, we deployed about 11 investigators and made every effort, and there are even more aspects to examine in the KT case." However, he noted, "As the matter is still ongoing, I cannot guarantee when the final announcement will be made."

At the personnel meeting on this day, Vice Chairman Lee also shared his vision for the status and role of the Commission. He said, "The Commission will firmly serve as the 'control tower' overseeing everything from A to Z-and beyond-regarding personal information." Regarding the roles of different ministries in overall data policy, he said, "Collaboration is extremely important for data held by each ministry, including MyData."

Regarding the phrase "cross-border data transfer" included in the Korea-US fact sheet, he explained, "Discussions are ongoing through various channels between Korea and the United States, and our laws also have procedures related to overseas transfers. In addition to existing grounds such as certification and treaties, we are considering adding internationally recognized standards to our internal Overseas Transfer Expert Committee." He continued, "We are also discussing ways to further specify, through public notices and other means, the criteria for issuing an order to suspend overseas transfers in cases where clear harm to the public is anticipated. I expect a draft to be available by the end of the year."

Vice Chairman Lee emphasized, "In this era of major AI and data transformation, personal information serves as the raw material for AI and constitutes a significant portion of data. The Commission's crucial role is to ensure that personal information is used safely and securely for the public, and that it can be effectively utilized for AI-driven innovation and growth in the industrial sector." He added, "We will establish a protection system that reassures the public and shift the paradigm toward prevention, fulfilling our role and responsibility as the control tower."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.