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KT to waive cancellation fees for customers hit by hacking incident

Published: 21 Oct. 2025, 20:37

KT CEO Kim Young-shub answering questions from a lawmaker about a recent hacking incident involving the telecom's network during a National Assembly audit of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee in Seoul, on Oct. 21. [YONHAP]

Korean telecom operator KT said Tuesday it will waive cancellation fees for customers affected by recent hacking incidents that led to unauthorized micropayments and data breaches.

KT CEO Kim Young-shub told lawmakers during a parliamentary audit of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee that the company will notify affected users of the waiver.

KT has said it will decide on the scope of penalty fee exemptions after reviewing the findings of a joint government-private investigation team.

The waiver will apply only to customers affected by unauthorized micropayments — small-value digital purchases made via automated response systems or text messages — or illegal base station connections, KT said, adding that any broader exemptions will depend on the results of the ongoing probe.

Rep. Park Chung-kwon of the People Power Party criticized KT's delayed response, saying many affected customers had to pay penalty fees of hundreds of thousands of won to terminate their subscriptions. Park urged the company to take greater responsibility.

Kim said he would take full responsibility, including considering resignation, once the situation is under control.

As of Friday, KT had detected 20 illegal micro base station identification codes suspected of being used for unauthorized mobile payments, with 368 users suffering combined losses of about 240 million won ($169,000).

Yonhap