The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it has not yet reached a conclusion regarding the penalty exemption measures related to the SK Telecom subscriber information leak incident.
During a hearing related to the SK Telecom hacking case held on the 8th by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, and Communications Committee, Ryu Young-sang, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "I received the results of the investigation regarding the penalty exemption yesterday morning, and it is currently under legal review."
However, the Ministry of Science and ICT noted that the decision on the penalty exemption should take into account the results of the joint public-private investigation team. It is expected that it will take at least a month and a half to two months for the investigation results to be announced.
Minister Ryu Young-sang explained, "When determining the liability of the service provider, factors such as intent or negligence, the current level of information protection technology, and the service provider's information protection measures must be considered together."
He added, "Exempting the penalty could cause significant damage to the service provider, making it a matter that cannot be decided easily," and stated, "A decision will be made after sufficient data has been collected."
On the same day, there were also inquiries about the necessity of introducing punitive damages against SK Telecom in the committee. Minister Ryu responded, "This is a part that requires legal review."