The Only Major Law Firm Leading SKT Litigation... Due to Public Demand and Mission

[Financial News]  Although a month has passed since the unprecedented server hacking incident, public anger towards SK Telecom (SKT) is not subsiding. Approximately 23 million subscribers' USIM information was leaked, but no concrete measures have been announced.
Daeryun Law Firm has initiated criminal complaint procedures to punish those responsible and is providing substantial legal assistance to affected subscribers. On the 27th, a civil lawsuit was also filed at the Seoul Central District Court seeking compensation of 1 million won per person.
Daeryun has been handling the case from the early stages of the incident through the Special Execution Headquarters (Special Division). The Special Division, led by the head of the headquarters, organizes expert lawyers to specialize in handling only medium to large cases, with legal veterans who have built careers in the legal field for nearly 40 years leading the case.
The head of the Special Division and Special 2nd Division, Jo Young-gon (16th Judicial Research and Training Institute), a former chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who is overseeing this litigation, stated, "Daeryun is the only major law firm raising its voice and conducting a class action lawsuit regarding the SKT incident," adding, "Most major law firms are dealing with companies as clients, showing a passive attitude towards this issue. Despite the clear damage to the public, they are ignoring it, which is extremely irresponsible."
In fact, major law firms are reluctant to get involved in this incident. Representing the victims could upset SK Group, the second-largest conglomerate. Major law firms, which primarily serve companies, are expressing reluctance towards sensitive lawsuits.
Internally within the legal community, there is skepticism about the possibility of winning the class action lawsuit. Proving SKT's negligence and causality is necessary, but gathering technical evidence for secondary damage is not easy, according to analyses.
Yeo Sang-won (17th Judicial Research and Training Institute), head lawyer of Special 1st Division, said, "There are numerous pressures, such as saying it's a lawsuit that can only recover tens of thousands of won or that it will surely lose," but emphasized, "However, this lawsuit is not just about individual rights but a public interest lawsuit to protect the privacy rights of the public." He further stated, "The reason we are challenging the perception that our complaints and lawsuits are like 'throwing eggs at a rock' is to put a brake on the structure where the rights of the public are treated lighter than corporate profits."
Regarding the amount of compensation, it was analyzed by comparing it with similar past cases. Lawyer Yeo said, "In personal information leakage cases involving banks, courts have generally recognized compensation limits of 100,000 to 300,000 won," adding, "However, in this case, since mobile phones are used as a means of personal authentication, and the telecommunications company failed to manage USIM information safely, we decided to proceed with the lawsuit by setting the compensation amount at 1 million won per person, holding them more strictly accountable than in past cases."
He continued, "Since the accident occurred within the scope of the other party's control, unless SKT proves its lack of negligence, the court's conclusion is expected to be in our favor."
In terms of criminal punishment, it was considered difficult to predict specifically as it could vary depending on police investigations and the Personal Information Protection Commission's investigation. Lawyer Jo Young-gon said, "We requested a thorough investigation from a public interest perspective regarding the intentional cost reduction of SKT's overall information protection measures and inadequate response during the Korea Internet & Security Agency reporting process," adding, "There will be differences depending on the application of criminal responsibility and gross negligence."
Overseas, there is a trend towards clearly defining responsibility in personal information leakage incidents. Companies are being strictly punished for illegal activities with fines amounting to billions of won and punitive damages that impose heavier compensation than actual damages. In fact, T-Mobile, one of the top three telecommunications companies in the United States, also leaked the personal information of 77.6 million people due to hacking in 2021, and decided to compensate approximately 459 billion won in settlement, with affected customers receiving up to about 32 million won in compensation depending on the scale of damage.
Lawyer Jo said, "In overseas cases, there are many instances where major law firms hold companies accountable through consumer class actions. They actively step in to ensure that consumers' rights to choose, know, and be safe are all guaranteed," adding, "Although we haven't attempted it yet, if we provide legal assistance for the victims like in overseas cases, there is a sufficient possibility of winning. It could overturn the public perception of an 'unwinnable fight.'"
Lawyer Jo also stated, "Regardless of any form of criticism or pressure, we will stand solely on the side of the victims, the public. With a sense of duty as the representative of the public, we will not give up and will continue with the lawsuit to the end," adding, "Daeryun will fulfill the duties of a major law firm and take social responsibility to prevent such issues from occurring again."

paksunbi@fnnews.com Park Jae-gwan Reporter