(LEAD) SK Group launches data protection committee to bolster group-wide cybersecurity
(ATTN: ADDS committee’s official name in 2nd para, comments in 6th para)
SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) — SK Group said Wednesday it has launched a special committee on data protection as part of its efforts to improve cybersecurity across its affiliates, following a large-scale data breach at SK Telecom Co.
The Information Security Innovation Committee was formed under the SUPEX Council, SK Group’s top decision-making advisory body, to proactively identify and block security risks and strengthen security capabilities of affiliates within the group, according to SK Group.
Chey Chang-won, chairman of the SUPEX Council, will head the new committee, with key SK Group affiliates, including SK Corp., SK Innovation Co., SK hynix Inc. and SK Telecom, participating.
To ensure expertise and objectivity, SK Group has appointed external cybersecurity experts from academia and industry as official members.
They include professor Choi Kyoung-jin of Gachon University, professor Lee Byung-young from Seoul National University and professor Kim Yong-dae, former director of the Cyber Security Research Center at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST).
“With the establishment of the Information Security Innovation Committee, we aim to enhance the security posture of all SK Group companies and implement systematic information protection activities that build trust with stakeholders,” an SK Group official said. “We will hold regular monthly meetings and technical working sessions to ensure effective execution.”
This photo provided by SK Corp. shows SK Group’s headquarters in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The launch of the committee is part of a promise made by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won during a media briefing last week, in which he publicly apologized for the data breach that may have exposed the personal information of approximately 25 million SK Telecom users.
The breach was first detected on April 18, involving a significant leak of universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data.
In response, the company has offered to replace the USIM of all 25 million subscribers, including 2 million budget phone users, free of charge to prevent identity theft or financial fraud.
The company has also enrolled all users in its USIM protection service, which, it says, offers the same level of protection against unauthorized financial activities as a physical USIM replacement.
brk@yna.co.kr
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