'Hacking Blow' Hits SKT: Q2 Operating Profit Down 37%... AI Business Shows Resilience

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SK Telecom took a direct hit from a hacking incident in its second quarter results this year. One-off costs, including customer USIM replacement expenses and compensation for dealer losses, were reflected in the results, causing operating profit to plummet by 37.1% year-on-year and net profit to drop by a staggering 76.2%.

On August 6, SKT announced that its consolidated results for the second quarter of this year recorded revenue of 4.3388 trillion won, operating profit of 338.3 billion won, and net profit of 83.2 billion won. On a separate basis, the company reported revenue of 3.1351 trillion won, operating profit of 250.9 billion won, and net profit of 36.9 billion won.

Costs related to USIM replacements, dealer compensation, and customer compensation measures implemented after the hacking incident in April were reflected in the results. During this period, SKT carried out measures worth 500 billion won through the "Responsibility and Promise" program, including free USIM replacements, fee reductions, and additional data offerings. The company also announced plans to invest 700 billion won in information security over the next five years.

At the same time, subscriber numbers also declined. According to wireless subscriber statistics from the Ministry of Science and ICT, a total of 835,214 subscribers left SKT between April, when the hacking incident became public, and July 14, when number portability penalties were waived. As a result, SKT's wireless market share fell below 40% for the first time. As of May, SK Telecom's number of mobile lines stood at 22,499,042, accounting for 39.29% of the total market.

However, growth in the artificial intelligence (AI) business helped partially offset the pressure from declining results. SKT's AI business segment grew by 13.9% year-on-year. The AI data center business recorded sales of 108.7 billion won, up 13.3% from the previous year, while the enterprise AI service (AIX) business posted 46.8 billion won in revenue, a 15.3% increase. The AI agent service "A.Dot" surpassed 10 million cumulative subscribers, and new services "A.Dot Note" and "Briefing" attracted 800,000 users within a month of launch.

SKT is seeking a rebound in the long term through investment in hyperscale AI infrastructure. The AI-dedicated data center under construction in Ulsan is scheduled to be operational by 2027, and including the Seoul Guro data center, the company will secure infrastructure with a total capacity of over 300 MW. Kim Yangsub, SKT's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), said, "We will take a cold, hard look back at this cyber breach and thoroughly work to improve going forward."

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