KT Small Payment Damage Spreads Nationwide… Concealment Controversy Intensifies

On the 21st, according to data released the previous day by Hwang Jeong-ah, a member of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, KT initially limited the affected areas to Gwangmyeong, Bucheon, and Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province, and Geumcheon and Yeongdeungpo in Seoul, as well as Bupyeong in Incheon, but in reality, the victims were distributed nationwide. 

According to a report by Yeonhap News, even on the 4th and 5th, dozens of unauthorized payments occurred, and it was confirmed that KT initially underreported the number of cases.

The damage was concentrated from the 5th to the 8th of last month, with reports of damages amounting to millions of won in Dongjak-gu and Seocho-gu in Seoul. 

Subsequently, unauthorized payments continued in a chain reaction in areas such as Gwangmyeong and Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province, Geumcheon in Seoul, Ilsan in Goyang, and Bupyeong in Incheon. According to the first reporter, evidence of damage was found not only in ARS authentication but also in PASS identity verification and KakaoTalk login.

Hwang Jeong-ah urged a full investigation and compulsory compensation measures, stating, "KT repeatedly minimized and concealed the issue in its initial response."

 She also pointed out that "stronger sanctions than the SKT case are needed," emphasizing that all customers should be directly informed of their payment details. 

KT explained that there have been no additional damages since blocking abnormal payment attempts in the early morning of the 5th, but the number of victims and the amount of damage continue to increase.