Company Files Appeal to Seoul Administrative Court SK Telecom lodged a lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court on Monday afternoon, seeking to overturn the Personal Information Protection Commission’s (PIPC) August ruling and the 135 billion‑won fine; the filing arrived one day before the statutory deadline for challenges [1].

Fine Represents PIPC’s Largest Penalty Since 2020 The 135 billion‑won sanction is the highest ever imposed by Korea’s data regulator since its 2020 inception, exceeding the combined fines levied against Google and Meta in 2022 and underscoring the regulator’s heightened enforcement stance [1].

Breach Affected All 23 Million Users and Prompted Compensation The data leak exposed the personal information of SK Telecom’s entire 23 million‑user base, triggering a regulator‑led probe, distribution of free USIM cards, and a corporate outlay of roughly 1.2 trillion won for user compensation and system upgrades, though no confirmed financial damages to users have been reported [1].

Legal Question Centers on Appropriateness of Penalty The court case will examine whether the fine proportionally reflects the breach circumstances, with SK Telecom arguing that its extensive remediation efforts and lack of direct user losses render the penalty excessive, framing the dispute as a test of PIPC’s punitive authority [1].