SKT responds to gov't order with termination fee waiver service

SK Telecom (SKT) has launched a refund inquiry service for users eligible for early termination fee waivers following a major hacking incident in April. The swift rollout comes just a day after the government found the company at fault.

An SK Telecom store in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 3 [NEWS1]

SK Telecom (SKT) has launched a refund inquiry service for users eligible for early termination fee waivers following a major hacking incident in April. The swift rollout comes just a day after the government found the company at fault.

On Friday, the telecom company opened a dedicated refund inquiry page on its online service app, T World, along with detailed guidance on early termination fee refunds.

Eligible users include SKT customers who, as of midnight on April 18 — the day of the hacking incident — have switched or plan to switch to a different carrier between April 19 and July 14.

However, certain users are excluded from the refund program. These include those who signed new contracts, changed devices or renewed contracts after April 19, as well as those who canceled and rejoined during that period. Users on IoT lines for special purposes or those whose lines were terminated by the company are also ineligible. Refunds do not cover installment payments.

Customers can begin checking their refund eligibility starting Saturday. Applications for refunds will open on July 15, with payments to be made within seven days to the bank account entered by the applicant. The closing date for applications will be set later.

The move follows the final release of findings from a joint government and private sector investigation into the April data breach, issued Thursday by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The ministry concluded that the telecom operator was responsible for the breach and had violated its contractual obligation to provide secure communications. It further stated that this justified the waiver of early termination fees.

The announcement came just one day after President Lee Jae Myung received a report on the incident and stated that no user should suffer financial harm due to the company’s fault during the contract cancellation process.

SKT convened a board meeting immediately after the investigation results were made public and decided to waive early termination fees. As a result, approximately 600,000 customers who switched to other carriers, including budget telecom providers, by the end of June, as well as those who do so by July 14, will be exempt from early termination penalties.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY HYEON YE-SEUL [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]