After the SK Telecom hacking incident, three collective dispute resolution applications were filed with the Personal Information Protection Commission, with more than 2,000 participants.
According to the Personal Information Protection Commission on the 28th, the number of collective dispute resolution applications submitted against SK Telecom due to the recent hacking incident was three as of the previous day. The total number of participants was counted at 2,025.
Separately, there were 610 applications for individual dispute resolution. The Personal Information Protection Commission noted, "As the applications for dispute resolution remain open, more applicants may demand dispute resolution."
On the same day, the Personal Information Protection Commission imposed a penalty surcharge of 134.791 billion won and fines of 9.6 million won on SK Telecom, holding them accountable for the leakage of information of over 23 million users due to the hacking incident and decided on corrective measures to prevent recurrence. This marks the largest penalty surcharge ever imposed on a domestic corporation by the Personal Information Protection Commission, surpassing the total of 100 billion won imposed on Google (69.2 billion won) and Meta (30.8 billion won) in 2022.
With the imposition of sanctions on SK Telecom, the previously suspended dispute resolution procedures will be resumed. Personal Information Protection Commission Chair Ko Hak-soo said during a briefing at the government Seoul office that, "As a decision has been made regarding SK Telecom, the procedures that are currently on hold will be resumed and conducted in accordance with the dispute resolution process."
When a collective dispute resolution application is submitted to the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Dispute Resolution Committee will initiate the mediation process with the parties involved, and if mediation is established, the content will have the same effect as a 'judicial settlement.'
However, if an agreement is not reached between the two sides, the parties involved in the collective dispute resolution may file a civil lawsuit in court.