Hundreds file privacy complaints over SK Telecom data leak

People line up outside an SK Telecom store in Seoul to exchange their USIM cards on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Hundreds of users have filed complaints demanding compensation and preventive measures in the wake of the recent hacking incident involving SK Telecom.

According to data from the Personal Information Protection Commission delivered to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea, 338 individuals have submitted requests to the privacy watchdog as of Wednesday, seeking resolution over the security breach.

Of these, 238 individuals filed 276 cases individually, while a group application involving 100 users accounted for one collective case.

The total number of cases -- 277 -- already amounts to more than one-third of the 806 disputes processed last year, despite the incident having occurred less than a month ago.

Korea’s personal information dispute mediation is designed to provide a quick, non-litigious resolution to privacy violations.

The mediation committee, a quasi-judicial body, is mandated to review and conclude disputes involving groups within 60 days of a formal public notice initiating the procedure.

An attorney representing the 100 victims in the collective filing said, “In addition to the initial 100 applicants, around 300 to 400 more users are waiting to file cases.”

The Seoul YMCA, a local civic group, raised similar concerns. The group urged the PIPC to proactively utilize mechanisms to speed up its response and ease public concern.

“Hundreds (of people) have already filed, and if secondary damage occurs, we may see a flood of new applications that the committee is not equipped to handle,” the group said.