SK Group’s Chey Tae-won apologizes over SK Telecom hack

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won apologized Wednesday over a hacking attack that compromised SK Telecom customer data, breaking his silence 19 days after the breach was discovered.

Speaking at a daily press briefing at SK Telecom’s headquarters in Seoul, Chey said, “I deeply apologize to everyone inconvenienced by this cyberattack. Both the company’s executive team and I feel profound remorse for the distress we have caused.”

His appearance came amid growing public criticism over the breach, the delay in replacing compromised USIM cards, and his absence from a scheduled May 8 hearing at the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee.

Chey pledged full cooperation with the government investigation and promised steps to prevent further harm to customers. “We will work closely with authorities to find the root cause and ensure no more damage is done to our users,” he said.

SK Group said it will set up a “Data Protection Innovation Committee” of internal and external experts under its SUPEX (Super Excellent Level) Council. The committee will review cybersecurity across all SK affiliates and recommend upgrades. “This is not just a corporate security issue — it’s a national security matter,” Chey said. “We will overhaul our systems and significantly boost investment in data protection.”

남혜정 기자 namduck2@donga.com