This article was published on Aug. 5, 2025, at 10:39 a.m. on the ChosunBiz RM Report site.
The Fair Trade Commission imposed a penalty surcharge of 96.3 billion won last July on the three mobile carriers (SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus) for colluding on sales incentives. It was confirmed on the 5th that KT, which was assessed 29.9 billion won, filed an administrative lawsuit seeking to cancel the penalty surcharge.
According to the legal community on that day, KT filed a lawsuit at the Seoul High Court last month seeking to cancel the corrective order. Additionally, it requested a provisional measure to suspend the execution of the penalty surcharge and corrective order until the lawsuit result is finalized. KT's legal representation is handled by BAE, KIM & LEE LLC.
The Fair Trade Commission determined that the three mobile carriers adjusted sales incentives in advance to prevent specific companies from attracting too many mobile number porting subscribers from November 2015 to September 2022. For example, if the number of net ported subscribers for SK Telecom continuously increased, SK Telecom would lower its sales incentives.
The Fair Trade Commission concluded that such actions limited competition among mobile carriers in attracting subscribers, thereby reducing the benefits available to consumers. Of the 96.3 billion won penalty surcharge, SK Telecom was charged 38.8 billion won, KT 29.9 billion won, and LG Uplus 27.6 billion won.
However, the three mobile carriers maintain that there was no collusion. They stated, "The actions deemed collusion by the Fair Trade Commission are a result of the execution of the Device Distribution Structure Improvement Act by the Korea Communications Commission." They also mentioned their intention to file an administrative lawsuit.
Meanwhile, it is reported that SK Telecom and LG Uplus will file an objection with the Fair Trade Commission. An objection is a request for a reconsideration when they determine that the Fair Trade Commission's decision is unfair. If the objection is accepted, the penalty surcharge may be partially reduced. SK Telecom's legal representation is handled by Kim & Chang Law Office, and LG Uplus's by Kwangjang.