KT said on the 12th that it posted 6.7784 trillion won in revenue and 482.7 billion won in operating profit in the first quarter of this year. Revenue fell 1.0% from a year earlier, and operating profit plunged 29.9%.
There was a spillover effect from the small-payment hacking incident that occurred in September last year. That is because compensation expense for the hacking damage began to be fully reflected this quarter. KT said, "Costs related to the customer reward program implemented since February and to the breach incident were reflected," adding, "Operating profit was high in the first quarter of 2025 due to a one-off real estate pre-sale gain, and this quarter saw the resulting base effect."
By institutional sector, in wireless, some subscribers churned during the early-termination-penalty waiver period, but net additions turned positive after February, lifting service revenue 0.4% year over year. In wireline, revenue rose 0.8% year over year on an expanded subscriber base. In internet, revenue grew 1.8% year over year on subscriber gains centered on GiGA internet and greater use of value-added services. In media, revenue increased 1.3% year over year on growth in IPTV subscribers and higher usage of premium set-top boxes. Corporations service revenue fell 2.2% year over year due to steady growth in telecommunications and the completion of large build-out projects.
Looking at affiliate results, KT Cloud posted revenue on par with a year earlier on demand for data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud businesses. KT Cloud plans to strengthen its push into the public and corporations AI cloud market and sustain double-digit annual growth by boosting utilization at the Gasan data center opened in November last year, building new data centers, and expanding the AI foundry business.
KT Estate recorded 237.4 billion won in revenue, up 72.9% from a year earlier, as pre-sale revenue increased with progress in the apartment pre-sale project in Goejeong-dong, Daejeon. Rising hotel room occupancy and average daily rates on stronger domestic travel demand also contributed to improved results.
Despite a slowdown in the advertising market and the impact of selling online ad agency PlayD, the content subsidiaries grew 1.9% year over year. KT Studio Genie strengthened competitiveness through a content lineup including "Climax" and diversified distribution, while kt Millie Seojae continued to improve results on subscriber growth and expansion of subscription-based revenue.
Kbank completed its KOSPI listing on Mar. 5, strengthening its growth base. As of the end of March 2026, deposits stood at 28.22 trillion won and loans at 18.75 trillion won, and it secured 540,000 new customers in the first quarter, increasing total customers to 16.07 million.
KT set first-quarter dividends per share at 600 won. The record date is May 27, and the payment date is June 11.
Min Hye-byeong, KT chief financial officer (CFO), said, "The first quarter was a period when we implemented a customer reward program in response to the customer breach incident, upgraded our security framework, and solidified the competitiveness of our B2C and B2B businesses," adding, "We will continue AX (AI transformation)-based growth and enhance corporations value."